And my Illinois fields, and my Kansas fields, and my fields of Missouri; The CONTINENT-devoting the whole identity, without reserving an atom, Pour in whelm that which asks, which sings, with all, and the yield of all. BANNER AND PENNANT. Aye all! for ever, for all! From sea to sea, north and south, east and west, 100 (The war is completed, the price is paid, the title is settled beyond recall ;)1 Fusing and holding, claiming, devouring the whole; No more with tender lip, nor musical labial sound, But, out of the night emerging for good, our voice persuasive no The blood of the world has fill'd me full-my theme is clear at last: -Banner so broad, advancing out of the night, I sing you haughty and resolute; I burst through where I waited long, too long, deafen'd and blinded; IIO My sight, my hearing and tongue, are come to me, (a little child taught me ;) I hear from above, O pennant of war, your ironical call and demand; Insensate insensate! (yet I at any rate chant you,) O banner! Not houses of peace indeed2 are you, nor any nor all their prosperity, (if need be, you shall again3 have every one of those houses to destroy them; You thought not to destroy those valuable houses, standing fast, full of comfort, built with money; 1 Line 102 added in 1870. May they stand fast, then? Not an hour, except1 you, above them and all, stand fast ;) -O banner! not money so precious are you, not farm produce you, nor the material good nutriment, Nor excellent stores, nor landed on wharves from the ships; Not the superb ships, with sail-power or steam-power, fetching and carrying cargoes, Nor machinery, vehicles, trade, nor revenues,—But you, as henceforth I see you, 120 Running up out of the night, bringing your cluster of stars, (ever enlarging stars ;) Divider of day-break you, cutting the air, touch'd by the sun, measuring the sky, (Passionately seen and yearn'd for by one poor little child, While others remain busy, or smartly talking, forever teaching thrift, thrift ;) O you up there! O pennant! where you undulate like a snake, hissing so curious, Out of reach-an idea only-yet furiously fought for, risking bloody death-loved by me! So loved! O you banner leading the day, with stars brought from the night! Valueless, object of eyes, over all and demanding all-(absolute owner of ALL)—O banner and pennant! I too leave the rest-great as it is, it is nothing-houses, machines are nothing-I see them not; I see but you, O warlike pennant! O banner so broad, with stripes, I sing you only, Flapping up there in the wind. 130 ETHIOPIA SALUTING THE COLORS. (A REMINISCENCE OF 1864.) First published in 1870. I WHO are you, dusky woman, so ancient, hardly human, 2 ('Tis while our army lines Carolina's sand and pines, Forth from thy hovel door, thou, Ethiopia, com'st to me, As, under doughty Sherman, I march toward the sea.) 3 Me, master, years a hundred, since from my parents sunder'd, A little child, they caught me as the savage beast is caught; Then hither me, across the sea, the cruel slaver brought. 4 No further does she say, but lingering all the day, ΙΟ Her high-borne turban'd head she wags, and rolls her darkling eye, And curtseys to the regiments, the guidons moving by. 5 What is it, fateful woman- -so blear, hardly human? Why wag your head, with turban bound-yellow, red and green? Are the things so strange and marvelous, you see or have seen? LO! VICTRESS ON THE PEAKS! First published in When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom'd," 1865-6. Lo! Victress on the peaks! Where thou,' with mighty brow, regarding the world, (The world, O Libertad, that vainly conspired against thee ;) Out of its countless beleaguering toils, after thwarting them all; Dominant, with the dazzling sun around thee, 2 Flauntest now unharm'd, in immortal soundness and bloom-lo! in these hours supreme, No poem proud, I, chanting, bring to thee-nor mastery's rapturous verse ; But a book, containing night's darkness, and blood-dripping wounds, And psalms of the dead. 1 When Lilacs reads "Where thou standest," etc. WORLD, TAKE GOOD NOTICE. WORLD, take good notice, silver stars fading, THICK-SPRINKLED BUNTING. First published in " Drum-Taps," 1865, under title of " Flag of Stars! Thick-Sprinkled Bunting." THICK-SPRINKLED bunting! Flag of stars!1 Long yet your road, fateful flag!-long yet your road, and lined with bloody death! For the prize I see at issue, at last is the world! All its ships and shores I see, interwoven with your threads, greedy banner ! -Dream'd again the flags of kings, highest born, to flaunt unrival'd? O hasten, flag of man! O with sure and steady step, passing highest flags of kings, Walk supreme to the heavens, mighty symbol-run up above them all, Flag of stars! thick-sprinkled bunting! 1 Drum-Taps reads "Flag of stars! Thick-sprinkled bunting!" LEAVES OF GRASS. FACES. First published in 1855. In 1856 under title of Poem of Faces." In 1860 '67 under title of Leaf of Faces." I SAUNTERING the pavement, or riding the country by-road-lo! such faces!1 Faces of friendship, precision, caution, suavity, ideality; The spiritual, prescient face-the always welcome, common, benevolent face, The face of the singing of music--the grand faces of natural lawyers and judges, broad at the back-top; The faces of hunters and fishers, bulged at the brows-the shaved blanch'd faces of orthodox citizens; The pure, extravagant, yearning, questioning artist's face; The ugly face of some beautiful Soul, the handsome detested or despised face; The sacred faces of infants, the illuminated face of the mother of many children; The face of an amour, the face of veneration; The face as of a dream, the face of an immobile rock; ΙΟ The face withdrawn of its good and bad, a castrated face; A wild hawk, his wings clipp'd by the clipper; A stallion that yielded at last to the thongs and knife of the gelder. Sauntering the pavement, thus, or crossing the ceaseless ferry, faces, and faces, and faces :3 I see them, and complain not, and am content with all. 2 Do you suppose I could be content with all, if I thought them their own finale? 1 1855 '56 '60. For "lo! such faces!" read "here then are faces!" 2 1855 reads "The welcome ugly face." 1855 '56 '60 read "Sauntering the pavement or crossing the ceaseless ferry, here then are faces." |