Song of Myself
Uploaded by hurr.i.cane.87 on Jan 02, 2005
SONG OF MYSELF
BY WALT WHITMAN
What does grass signify to us? Simple grass that grows on pavements and pathways, fields and graves. There is no such thing as death—“The smallest sprout shows there is really no death”. There is a rejuvenation of everything in the cycle of life that God has created. The first half of the poem is filled with questions and later on they are answered.
Whitman finds subject for his poetry from among common conditions and ordinary backgrounds. In this poem, he addresses grass, where he celebrates even the smallest of God’s creations and gives to it an identity that is an integral part of the universe.
A child’s innocent question leads the poet to search for answers. And while the poet attempts to find these answers, he is able to relate one of the simplest of God’s creations in this cosmic world to the stature of being “the handkerchief of the Lord”.
The desire to find answers provokes the poet to search and he starts by saying that it could be a manifestation or representation of his mind or his “disposition” that is “woven” out of “hopeful green stuff”. A very positive start to the purpose and function of God’s creations.
He goes on to say that it could be the handkerchief of the Lord – attributing to grass divine qualities. God, he says, “designedly dropt” or deliberately placed grass on earth to remind man of the Creator. Given to us as a gift, the handkerchief of the Lord serves to remind us of God’s presence in nature and in our lives.
He goes on to say that perhaps grass is a “child” – a child of the “vegetation”.
He next wonders if grass could be a “uniform hieroglyphic” or a pictorial form of writing. The symbolism is that grass performs the function of words. It has a message to convey to us. What is the message of grass? What does it say to mankind?
He says that it will sprout alike in all manner of...