In honor
of the Fourth of July, here’s a poem by the most American of poets, our national poet, Walt Whitman,
writing about what he writes best, the heart and wonder of America.
I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be
blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves
off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the
deckhand
singing on the
steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter
singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the
morning, or
at noon
intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at
work, or of
the girl sewing
or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
fellows,
robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
Here's a video clip of a reading of this poem.
Happy
birthday America!
I sang this poem in a choral setting once :) I looked for a you tube of it but only could find one arrangement that definitely wasn't the one we did. sad -- it was really good.
ReplyDeleteOh I love to hear poems set to music. If you ever find it let me know.
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