Song of Myself (Selected Excerpts)
Whitman’s “Song of Myself” makes a democratic, embodied lyric — a capacious voice that invites contradiction and communion.
I Hear America Singing
An anthem of labor and individuality, “I Hear America Singing” gathers many voices into one democratic chorus.
O Captain! My Captain!
Whitman’s elegy for Lincoln balances public exultation with private grief in a rare, formally rhymed lament.
When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d (Selected Excerpts)
Whitman’s Lincoln elegy braids lilac, star, and thrush into a ritual of grief and renewal in free verse.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was an American poet whose revolutionary work Leaves of Grass celebrated democracy, the human body, and the spirit of individuality.