1
AS I ponder’d in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me, with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands,
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said;
Know’st thou not, there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles,
The making of perfect soldiers?
2
Be it so, then I answer’d,
I too, haughty Shade, also sing war-and a longer and greater one than
any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune-with flight, advance, and
retreat-Victory deferr’d and wavering,
(Yet, methinks, certain, or as good as certain, at the last,)-The
field the world;
For life and death-for the Body, and for the eternal Soul,
Lo! too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I, above all, promote brave soldiers.
(Walt Whitman)
More Poetry from Walt Whitman:
Walt Whitman Poems based on Topics: Soul, World, War & Peace, Beauty, Literature, Body, Soldiers, Poetry, Perfection, Poets, Age- A Proadway Pageant (Walt Whitman Poems)
- A Boston Ballad, 1854 (Walt Whitman Poems)
- A Woman Waits For Me (Walt Whitman Poems)
- A March In The Ranks, Hard-prest (Walt Whitman Poems)
- A Riddle Song (Walt Whitman Poems)
- A child said, What is the grass? (Walt Whitman Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: World Poems, Soul Poems, War & Peace Poems, Beauty Poems, Fate & Destiny Poems, Power Poems, Literature Poems, Silence Poems, Age Poems, Eternity Poems, Body PoemsBased on Keywords: singest, waged, directing, promote, considering, menacing, distrustful, last-the, deferr, death-for, war-and