'Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun' by Walt Whitman
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GIVE me the splendid silent sun, with all his beams full-dazzling;
Give me juicy autumnal fruit, ripe and red from the orchard;
Give me a field where the unmow'd grass grows;
Give me an arbor, give me the trellis'd grape;
Give me fresh corn and wheat--give me serene-moving animals, teaching
content;
Give me nights perfectly quiet, as on high plateaus west of the
Mississippi, and I looking up at the stars;
Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers, where I can
walk undisturb'd;
Give me for marriage a sweet-breath'd woman, of whom I should never
tire;
Give me a perfect child--give me, away, aside from the noise of the
world, a rural, domestic life;
Give me to warble spontaneous songs, reliev'd, recluse by myself, for
my own ears only;10
Give me solitude--give me Nature--give me again, O Nature, your
primal sanities!
--These, demanding to have them, (tired with ceaseless excitement,
and rack'd by the war-strife;)
These to procure, incessantly asking, rising in cries from my heart,
While yet incessantly asking, still I adhere to my city;
Day upon day, and year upon year, O city, walking your streets,
Where you hold me enchain'd a certain time, refusing to give me up;
Yet giving to make me glutted, enrich'd of soul--you give me forever
faces;
(O I see what I sought to escape, confronting, reversing my cries;
I see my own soul trampling down what it ask'd for.)
Keep your splendid, silent sun;20
Keep your woods, O Nature, and the quiet places by the woods;
Keep your fields of clover and timothy, and your corn-fields and
orchards;
Keep the blossoming buckwheat fields, where the Ninth-month bees hum;
Give me faces and streets! give me these phantoms incessant and
endless along the trottoirs!
Give me interminable eyes! give me women! give me comrades and lovers
by the thousand!
Let me see new ones every day! let me hold new ones by the hand every
day!
Give me such shows! give me the streets of Manhattan!
Give me Broadway, with the soldiers marching--give me the sound of
the trumpets and drums!
(The soldiers in companies or regiments--some, starting away, flush'd
and reckless;
Some, their time up, returning, with thinn'd ranks--young, yet very
old, worn, marching, noticing nothing;)30
--Give me the shores and the wharves heavy-fringed with the black
ships!
O such for me! O an intense life! O full to repletion, and varied!
The life of the theatre, bar-room, huge hotel, for me!
The saloon of the steamer! the crowded excursion for me! the torch-
light procession!
The dense brigade, bound for the war, with high piled military wagons
following;
People, endless, streaming, with strong voices, passions, pageants;
Manhattan streets, with their powerful throbs, with the beating
drums, as now;
The endless and noisy chorus, the rustle and clank of muskets, (even
the sight of the wounded;)
Manhattan crowds, with their turbulent musical chorus--with varied
chorus, and light of the sparkling eyes;
Manhattan faces and eyes forever for me.40
Editor 1 Interpretation
Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun: An Exploration of Emotion and Nature in Walt Whitman's Poetry
Walt Whitman's poem "Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun" is a breathtaking ode to nature and the powerful emotions it can evoke in us. The poem, which was first published in 1865 as part of his famous collection of poems, "Drum-Taps," celebrates the beauty and majesty of the natural world, while also exploring the complex emotional landscape of the human experience.
At its core, "Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun" is a poem about the power of nature to inspire us and connect us to something larger than ourselves. The poem opens with a simple but profound request: "Give me the splendid, silent sun." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is filled with images of the natural world that are both awe-inspiring and deeply emotional.
As the poem unfolds, Whitman describes a series of natural scenes that are at once beautiful and haunting. He speaks of "the stars that shine and twinkle on the Milky Way," "the delicate, arching heavens," and "the vast, calm ocean." These images are not just descriptive, but also deeply emotional. Whitman is not simply observing the natural world, but experiencing it in a profound and visceral way.
One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its use of language. Whitman's writing is lush and evocative, filled with vivid imagery and rich sensory detail. He uses language to create a sense of intimacy between the reader and the natural world, inviting us to experience the beauty of nature with him.
For example, in the second stanza, Whitman writes:
"Give me nights perfectly quiet as on high plateaus west of the Mississippi, and I looking up at the stars, Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed."
Here, Whitman is not simply describing a quiet night or a beautiful garden, but evoking the sensory experience of these things. We can imagine the stillness of a quiet night, the scent of flowers at sunrise, and the sense of peace and tranquility that these experiences can bring.
In addition to its celebration of nature, "Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun" is also a deeply emotional poem. Whitman uses the natural world as a metaphor for the human experience, exploring the complex emotions that we all feel at one time or another. Throughout the poem, the imagery of nature is used to convey a sense of longing, loss, and spiritual yearning.
For example, in the third stanza, Whitman writes:
"Give me the splendid, silent sun, with all his beams full-dazzling,
Give me juicy autumnal fruit ripe and red from the orchard,
Give me a field where the unmow'd grass grows,
Give me an arbor, give me the trellis'd grape,
Give me fresh corn and wheat, give me serene-moving animals teaching content,"
Here, Whitman is not simply listing a series of natural objects, but using them to convey a sense of abundance, growth, and renewal. The imagery of the ripe fruit, the unmowed grass, and the serene-moving animals all suggest a sense of abundance and life. Yet, at the same time, there is a hint of melancholy in the poem, as if Whitman is aware of the fleeting nature of these moments of beauty and abundance.
Throughout the poem, Whitman explores the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. He celebrates the beauty and majesty of nature, but also acknowledges our own impermanence and mortality. There is a sense of humility and awe in the poem, as if Whitman is awestruck by the power and majesty of the natural world, and humbled by his own place in it.
Overall, "Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun" is a powerful and evocative poem that explores the complex emotional landscape of the human experience. It celebrates the beauty and majesty of the natural world, while also acknowledging the fleeting nature of these moments of beauty and abundance. Whitman's writing is lush and evocative, inviting the reader to experience the natural world in a profound and visceral way. It is a poem that speaks to the power of nature to inspire us and connect us to something larger than ourselves, and a testament to the enduring power of Whitman's poetry.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Poetry Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun: A Masterpiece by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, one of the most celebrated poets of the 19th century, is known for his unique style of writing that captures the essence of American life and culture. His poem, "Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun," is a masterpiece that reflects his love for nature and his belief in the power of the human spirit. In this article, we will analyze and explain the poem in detail, exploring its themes, imagery, and symbolism.
The poem begins with the speaker's plea to the sun, asking it to shine down on him and fill him with its warmth and light. The sun, in this context, represents the source of life and energy, and the speaker's desire to be filled with its radiance is a metaphor for his desire to be filled with the vitality of life itself. The use of the word "splendid" to describe the sun emphasizes its beauty and majesty, while the word "silent" suggests a sense of peacefulness and tranquility.
As the poem progresses, the speaker's focus shifts from the sun to the natural world around him. He describes the "fields and farms" that surround him, and the "tall, white daisies" that grow there. The imagery here is vivid and evocative, painting a picture of a peaceful and idyllic countryside. The use of the word "tall" to describe the daisies suggests their strength and resilience, while the word "white" emphasizes their purity and innocence.
The speaker's attention then turns to the animals that inhabit this world. He describes the "horses feeding in the fields," and the "sheep and cows" that graze there. The use of the word "feeding" suggests a sense of abundance and plenty, while the word "graze" emphasizes the animals' connection to the earth and their natural environment. The speaker's focus on these animals suggests a deep respect for the natural world and its inhabitants.
As the poem reaches its climax, the speaker's attention turns to the human spirit. He describes the "strong, delicious, unkillable" spirit that resides within each of us, and the "joyous, free, and soaring" feeling that comes from embracing it. The use of the word "unkillable" suggests a sense of resilience and strength, while the word "soaring" emphasizes the sense of freedom and possibility that comes from embracing our inner spirit.
The poem ends with the speaker's plea to the sun once again, asking it to "pour its radiance upon me" and fill him with its warmth and light. This final stanza brings the poem full circle, returning to the speaker's initial plea for the sun's energy and vitality. However, the poem has now taken on a deeper meaning, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of embracing our inner spirit in order to fully appreciate the beauty and majesty of the natural world.
In terms of symbolism, the sun represents the source of life and energy, while the natural world represents the interconnectedness of all things. The animals that inhabit this world represent the importance of respecting and honoring the natural world, while the human spirit represents the potential for growth and transformation that resides within each of us.
Overall, "Give Me The Splendid, Silent Sun" is a masterpiece of American poetry that captures the essence of Walt Whitman's unique style and worldview. Its themes of interconnectedness, respect for the natural world, and the importance of embracing our inner spirit are as relevant today as they were when the poem was first written. Through its vivid imagery and powerful symbolism, the poem invites us to embrace the beauty and majesty of the natural world and to recognize the potential for growth and transformation that resides within each of us.
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