The first six sections of Walt Whitman's Song of Myself present a myriad of issues both in subject matter and style. Reading these sections is a very different experience from reading a sonnet or even blank verse. Whitman's form was revolutionary when it arrived on the literary scene, and it continues to be distinctive. To some, Whitman's form is the essence of his art, and part of what makes Song of Myself so accessible and so entrancing. But to others it seems mere sloppiness – Whitman's line More...

Whitman's mini-epic is indeed a song of himself in that he was the first modern poet to be frank about his mind and, more ground-breakingly, his body. He unashamedly relays thoughts about everything from landscapes to politics to race but also viscerally describes physical reactions to everything from manual labor to homosexual stimuli. Song is that truly rare poem that satisfies both intellectually and on a more primal level. The former comes via Whitman's Emerson-influenced transcendentalism. More...

I read this a few months ago, but I just wanted to add this to comment on Goodreads's lack of poetry section. I know that poetry has to be published in a specific volume, but most people read poetry selectively, not in its entirety (This poem took me two days to read. God knows how long Leaves of Grass would have taken). And reviewing an entire volume of poetry seems absurd when there is so much substance in just one poem. Basically, I would just like to talk about one poem instead of an entire More...

I'm reading Walt Whitman's collection of poems in his book Leaves of Grass but by far my favorite, and the poem i would want to share with the world is Song of Myself. The first time i read through the poem i had a hard time comprehending what or who Whitman was talking about. So i had to read it again, and again and even a 3rd and yes 5th time. The more i read his words the more i became aware of his understanding of himself. Not only in this poem does write scenery but Whitman spends six page More...

Walt Whitman has become a classic figure in the American literary canon, but his contemporaries could have never predicted it to be so. As is usually the case for marginal intellectuals who question the status quo, he was demonized by the prudes that he offended. This, however, did not discourage Walt Whitman. Whitman was happy simply by continuing to live and write, and he lived a poet's life from beginning to end without inhibitions. Today he is loved by the literate and the layman alike becau More...

Two-and-a-half stars would really be more accurate.

My first mistake was trying to read it in bits and snatches when I could, instead of sitting down and drinking it all in at once. Read as a unit, < i>Song of Myself carries a clear, undeniably lovely message. But something about Whitman bothered me, and I don't know if it's him, or my unfortunate general lack of appreciation of poetry.

It seemed to me like I was reading the full roster of his thoughts, with no filter, and no organization. More...

What I love about poetry is that there is a lot of room for interpretation. And in those beautiful 80 pages, Whitman did deliver what he promised before getting into the poem:
"You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,
You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your self."

A must-read for anyone who likes to analyze things. It made me want to be in a book club just to discuss it. I think if I loved poetry a bit more, I might have appreciated it immensely.

A few bi More...

I actually read Leaves of Grass as sort of a companion to John Green's Paper Towns. Those that have read it will know that the poem "Song of Myself" plays a big part in the storyline, so I thought it might be a good idea to read the poem in question to gain a better understanding of the book. I guess, if anything, Paper Towns sort of gave me a false pretense as to what the subject matter of the poem actually was. What I was expecting was an insightful poem about interconnectedness and how people More...

Beautifully edited by Stephen Mitchell, this particular edition of "Song of Myself" sings with an immediacy and vibrancy that practically leaps from the page. Whitman continually tinkered with the poem throughout his life - in some cases adding richness to it, but in many instances watering down its genius. So, beginning with the assumption that the first version of "Song of Myself" was the most vital (a.k.a. first thought, best thought), Mitchell examined all the changes Whitman made over the y More...

One of the greatest and most powerful poems I've ever read (and probably; will ever read) even though it's very challenging to keep up with the Poet's ideas.
True, that it is 80-something-pages long, and I had to read it over three times to get a glimpse of what it's about and to start comprehending, but it's wonderfully written and worth the time.
The first 10 sections are my favourite. Full of hope and life, and towards the middle, the poet compares our lives with other living things and how it More...

As a person who enjoys the work of romantic writers and Transcendentalists, I always wanted to read Whitman's work. I do enjoy his vision and vivid imagery, however I do have a few reservations after reading "Song of Myself." There were occasions when I felt as though he wrote with a lack of care for structure or clarity. I found some of his metaphors, although beautiful, to be confusing because of the placement and wording, they were abrupt and did not seem to have a clear connection to the mes More...

So, sometimes when I've had a bad day I read random passages aloud to myself in the bath.

La destreza poetica para lanzar el lenguaje en sonidos, colores y olores; "El aire no es una aroma, no huele a nada." El impacto de uno de mis comienzos y pinseladas con los poetas del mundo y El, dedicado a cantar la grandeza del individuo, a traves de este escrito de cantos llegue a preguntar un dia por "Hojas de Hierba" en ingles "Leaves of Grass" que para mi suerte estaba en la misma biblioteca de aquella casa donde vivi cuando llegue a Bogota por primera vez y los libros casi me ladraban ot More...

At first, I was ambivalent about reading a poem with such a narcissistic title. Once I read it, however, one realizes how optimistic Whitman is, a rarity among naturalists. It sincerely pains me that Whitman's love for the human body, male or female, is frowned upon because of his sexuality. His descriptions of love and sex are romantic and beautiful, but they are ruined by society's judgment. I do not believe his intent to write this book was to get laughed at by a class of immature teenagers, More...

Stephen Mitchell compiles sections from all of the various versions of Song of Myself Whitman produced in his lifetime, selecting what seems to him the best, the most felicitous. It's a unique poem, not quite the full throated explosion of the first edition, but neither is it the border-line prosaic version encountered in the "death bed" edition.

This Pocket Classic fits in a breast pocket. I like to bring it with on camping ventures. Song of Myself was meant to be read under open sky.

Oh Walt Whitman, you had so much self-confidence. That's the main thing I took from this poem, the self-confidence of a Taoist. Whitman's poem deals with the unity of the universe, in a very Eastern philosophical way, as opposed to the traditional Western view of the individual as a unique entity divorced from everything around him (see Freud's commentary on ego). Some of the passages are brilliantly beautiful and some don't do much for me. What can I say, I'm not a fan of Transcendentalism.

With its delightful freeform optimism, the poem exemplifies what has been called American Transcendentalism, a mid-19th century literary and cultural movement glorifying nature and personal spirituality in a kind of marriage of Kantian philosophy, Eastern mysticism (particularly the 'Bhagavad Gita') and American individualism.

Read my full review: http://www.brnrd.net/blog/archive/200... & http://www.brnrd.net/blog/archive/200...

Oh holy my goodness, what an amazing poem. I have read bits and pieces of this a few times in the past, but today I sat and read all 1347 lines. I could quote so much, and other than the whole Alamo interlude I loved it all.

This is perhaps my favorite lines, although to be honest I could just have easily picked many others;

"I dote on myself, there is a lot of me and all so luscious, / Each moment and whatever happens thrills me with joy" (544-545)

The only reason I read Song of Myself is because it was constantly referred to in Paper Towns. The poem was beautiful, but also boring an confusing. While I expected Walt Whitman to talk about himself a lot, I didn't expect him to be quite so narcissistic! I wasn't that much of a Walt Whitman fan before I read this, but now he's reached an all time low in my eyes. Whitman pretty much says that he feels everyone's pain, he relates himself to God over and over again. He pretty much lists all the g More...

Who cares its poetry by a homosexual who lived in Brooklyn before the bridge was even built? No,no,no, this is YES to life. This is celebration of wonder. This is awesome. How Walt Whitman is not required reading in every classroom (at least the ones that taught English and literature) in America would be a mystery if I were not so cynical.

PS- I wish they would have taught Walt Whitman in my geometry class.

This haughty asshole is the reason poets have a bad name. God complex in high doses. If you ever catch yourself saying " I celebrate myself and sing MYSELF, and what I assume YOU shall assume"- punch yourself in the face for thinking your that omnipotent. Whitman was lucky he was writing in a era of women oppression or else Emily D would have sucker punched his arrogance in the balls.

Reading this poem was a lot of fun. The flow, rhythm and grouping of words were beautiful and fun to read, but sometimes it was very uncomfortable. Sometimes I felt like I was invading the poor mans privacy, reading a personal diary that I had no right to be reading. Sometimes it just didn't make sense, and sometimes it was repetitious and overlong.

Does anyone ever "finish" reading a poem? With some - like this one, The Wasteland, maybe Howl - others? - they are like bottomless cups of coffee. Every time you go back to them, take another sip, there's more to taste.

That is all.

(and I'm still taking this as a notch on my book challenge bedpost) ;-) More...

Some fantastic poems within the larger poem. But then, some poems were unexpectedly about his penis. Hooray? Seriously though, this is a very important read, especially if you're into the Beat Generation (which I am). Whitman's work is a direct influence on later poets, most notably Ginsberg's Howl comes to mind.

Don't be fooled....the first edition is the best. I've actually read this poem more times than I've bathed. NOTE: this book contains a stupid spelling error in chant 6, page 5: "And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of GRASS." That's supposed to be "graves." Way to f*** up one of the best lines.

Strange, very strange. Overconfident writing of the author yet sometimes pretending to be unsure of himself. Confusing to read, except for the sexual symbolism - because that was so obvious. There wasn't a lot of order so I didn't get most of it. I'm sure it's me.

Amazing poem.

Discussing this with a couple of friends, we all agreed that Whitman is the Modernist without the Modernism. I do believe he was ahead of his time.

There are small details that enrich the poem in various ways. Just to give an example (perhaps my favourite one), the final verse, lacking a full stop, has a powerful meaning concerning not only the poem itself but also the poet, society and America.

52.
"I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,
If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles.

You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood.

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you."

This man is a crazy-genius he reminds me of a Comic(artist) named Bo Burnham he is way to smart able to make crazy similes that you have to think about for a while before it makes sense also they have a fended quite a few people and they don't care.

Whitman's imagery is awe-inspiring. His voice is musical and soulful. However, it was hard to understand what he was talking about at times. I understood less than half of it; I'll probably need to re-read it before my master's oral exam.