PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Walt Whitman, Part 2

PEOPLE IN AMERICA -November 24, 2002: Walt Whitman, Part 2

By Richard Thorman

VOICE 1:
I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE 2:

And this is Doug Johnson with the Special English program, People in America. Today, we
complete our report about the life and work of nineteenth-century American poet Walt
Whitman.

(Theme)
VOICE 1:
Last week we told about how Walt Whitman published his book of poems, "Leaves of

Grass," in eighteen-fifty-five. He was thirty-six years old.

"Leaves of Grass" was written in a new poetic¹ language as natural as breath. Whitman had created a new kind of
poetry, the first true American poetry.
Narrator:
"I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars,
"And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren² ..
.
"And the cow crunching³ with depressed⁴ head surpasses⁵ any statue ...
"
VOICE 2:
Whitman's poetry praises and celebrates the natural world of plants, animals, humans, rocks, stars and oceans.

The long poem "Song of Myself" is his most famous. It begins:
Narrator:
"I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
"And what I assume you shall assume,
"For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you ..
.
"The atmosphere is not a perfume ... it is odorless,
"It is for my mouth forever, I am in love with it,
"I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked,
"I am mad for it to be in contact with me.
"The smoke of my own breath ..
.

 


"My respiration⁶ and inspiration⁷, the beating of my heart, the passing of blood and air through my lungs ...
"
VOICE 1:
Some years ago, critic Malcolm Cowley wrote about how Walt Whitman became a poet. It was a mystery, he

said. It happened almost overnight.
Cowley said he believes Whitman's need to write poetry developed as he came to recognize his sexual⁸ nature.

Whitman was homosexual; he loved men. As a poet of praise he wanted to praise his own true nature. But he also
wanted to remain partly hidden and protected. So his language sometimes is direct and sometimes is not.
Narrator:
"I believe in you my soul, the other I am must not abase⁹ itself to you,
"And you must not be abased¹⁰ to the other ..
.
"I mind how once we lay such a transparent¹¹ summer morning,
"How you settled your head athwart my hips¹² and gently turned over upon me,
"And parted the shirt from my bosom-bone, and plunged¹³ your tongue to my bare stripped heart ...
"
VOICE 2:
To some British readers, Whitman's poetry sounded like the true voice of Americans. It was free and powerful. It

was common and sweet as the open air. British writer Robert Louis Stevenson wrote that "Leaves of Grass"

turned the world upside down for him.
Yet most readers in Britain and the United States rejected Whitman. Many were shocked by the poetry's new
form and open sexuality. Many booksellers refused to sell "Leaves of Grass". Most leading critics dismissed it.

Whitman's brother even criticized the poetry. "Walt," he said, "hasn't the world made it plain that it would rather
not have your book. Why then don't you call the game off."

VOICE 1:
America's civil war began in eighteen-sixty-one. The Southern states had broken away to protect their rights
against the central government. They especially wanted to protect their legal right to own black slaves. The
Northern states fought the South to save the Union and free the slaves.

Walt Whitman had worked for many years for newspapers and groups that wanted the black man to be free. He
believed that all people are equal in their humanity¹⁴. So he supported the northern cause. But at forty-one years of
age, he was too old to fight. His younger brother George, however, joined immediately.

VOICE 2:
In the second year of the war, a big battle was fought near Fredericksburg, Virginia. George Whitman was an

officer in the union forces at Fredericksburg. Walt and his mother worried that George might have been wounded
in the battle. So Walt went to look for George among the wounded.
He looked for his brother at hospitals in Washington, the nation's capital. He did not find his brother there, so he

traveled to Fredericksburg. His brother had been wounded, but not seriously.

George asked Walt to stay at the camp for a few days. Walt stayed more than a week, helping¹⁵ care for the
wounded. He even helped bury some of the dead.
VOICE 1:


Walt found satisfaction in what he was doing. He decided¹⁶ to spend time in Washington helping where he could.

There were few nurses or visitors there. And there were hundreds of injured and dying soldiers at army hospitals.
Walt Whitman was a tall, strong man. He was calm and kind. He sat beside the sick and dying men for hours. He
wrote letters for them. He gave them water to drink. He brought them gifts of food and money. He hoped that his
support and care would help some men to survive.

VOICE 2:

Whitman received no pay for his work among the wounded. He needed money to live in Washington. A friend
found him a part-time job in the army pay office, copying papers for a few hours a day.
The pay was low. But Whitman did not need much money. For three hours each morning, he worked at the pay

office. Then he went to one of the many hospitals in the city to visit the wounded. Around four in the afternoon
he usually left to eat his dinner. Then he would return to the hospital, staying until nine or ten at night.

VOICE 1:
Whitman often saw President Abraham Lincoln riding his horse between the White House and a home for
soldiers just outside Washington. Whitman wrote: "Mr. Lincoln wears a black stiff¹⁷ hat, and looks as ordinary in
dress as the commonest man. I see very clearly Lincoln's dark brown face, with the deep-cut lines ... The eyes,
always to me, with a deep hidden sadness. We have got so that we exchange bows, very friendly ones.
"

In March, eighteen-sixty-four, Lincoln was sworn in as president for the second time. Whitman was in the crowd
of thousands who watched the ceremony.

VOICE 2:
The days following the inauguration¹⁸ were beautiful spring days. The terrible Civil War was ending. Whitman
wrote about the beautiful spring weather that made lilacs and other spring flowers bloom early. The nights were
especially nice, he said. And a star in the western sky seemed to glow especially bright, as if it had something to
tell the world.

On the Friday before Easter, Whitman and the nation learned that Lincoln had been shot and killed. Whitman felt
a deep personal loss. Slowly he built the poem he called "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." This is
how it begins:

Narrator:
"When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom'd,
"And the great star early drooped¹⁹ in the western sky in the night,
"I mourned, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.
"O powerful western fallen star! ..
.
"Here, coffin²⁰ that slowly passes,
"I give you my sprig of lilac.
"
VOICE 1:
Critic Malcolm Cowley wrote that Whitman's best poems seem to have been made just this morning. They seem

freshly painted. And they make us see the world in a new way.
VOICE 2:
Whitman's last years were troubled by poverty and increasing sickness. He continued to write poetry. Every few


years, he published a new edition of "Leaves of Grass", putting in new poems.

Sales of the book increased a little. But few Americans recognized Whitman's greatness. In Britain, however, he
was seen as the outstanding voice of the new world.
Whitman's health began to fail when he was in his early fifties. He went to camden, New Jersey²¹ to live with his

brother George. It was a lonely life in a strange town. To keep himself busy, Whitman wrote for New York

newspapers and magazines. And he added more lines to "Leaves of Grass.
"
Walt Whitman did not fear death, which came in eighteen-ninety-two. He was seventy-three. Many years earlier
he had written:

narrator:

"And as to you, death, and you bitter hug of mortality, it is idle to try to alarm me ..
.

"I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway²² sun ..
.

"I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love,

"If you want me again look for me under your bootsoles.

"You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,

"But I shall be good health to you nevertheless. ...
"

(Theme)

VOICE 1:

This Special English program was written by Richard Thorman and Carolyn Weaver²³. It was produced by Paul

Thompson. Rich Kleinfeldt read the poetry. I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE 2:
And I'm Doug Johnson. Listen again next week for another People in America program on VOA.

 

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1 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

2 wren   

n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员

参考例句：

• A wren is a kind of short-winged songbird.鹪鹩是一种短翼的鸣禽。
• My bird guide confirmed that a Carolina wren had discovered the thickets near my house.我掌握的鸟类知识使我确信，一只卡罗莱纳州鹪鹩已经发现了我家的这个灌木丛。

3 crunching   

v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄

参考例句：

• The horses were crunching their straw at their manger. 这些马在嘎吱嘎吱地吃槽里的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog was crunching a bone. 狗正嘎吱嘎吱地嚼骨头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

5 surpasses   

v.超过( surpass的第三人称单数 )；优于；多于；非…所能办到

参考例句：

• Each generation surpasses the preceding one. 一代更比一代强。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Her beauty surpasses all description. 她的美丽超出了人力所能描绘的限度。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 respiration   

n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用

参考例句：

• They tried artificial respiration but it was of no avail.他们试做人工呼吸，可是无效。
• They made frequent checks on his respiration,pulse and blood.他们经常检查他的呼吸、脉搏和血液。

7 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

8 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

9 abase   

v.降低，贬抑

参考例句：

• He refused to abase himself in the eyes of others.他不愿在他人面前被贬低。
• A man who uses bad language will only abase himself.说脏话者只会自贬身分。

10 abased   

使谦卑( abase的过去式和过去分词 )； 使感到羞耻； 使降低（地位、身份等）； 降下

参考例句：

• His moral force was abased into more than childish weakness. 他的精神力量已经衰颓，低得不如孩子。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• He is self-abased because of unluck he meets with. 他因遭不幸而自卑。

11 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

12 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

14 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

16 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

17 stiff   

adj.严厉的，激烈的，硬的，僵直的，不灵活的

参考例句：

• There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。
• You have to push on the handle to turn it,becanse it's very stiff.手柄很不灵活，你必须用力推才能转动它。

18 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

19 drooped   

弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。
• The flowers drooped in the heat of the sun. 花儿晒蔫了。

20 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

21 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

22 runaway   

n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的

参考例句：

• The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
• He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。

23 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。