Walt Whitman

I enjoyed reading Walt Whitman’s poetry. I have never read any of his literature but I have heard a lot about him and know he is a very respected and well known poet. When reading When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d I really enjoyed what I understood, but there is still a lot I don’t understand about the poem even when I reread and analyzed it. My favorite lines in the poem were the lines where Whitman specifically talked about death. “In the day, in the night, to all, to each, Sooner or later delicate death” was one of my favorite lines. It reminds me of so many verses in Scripture. It is the main lesson in Ecclesiastes which is one of my favorite books. I think this statement is one of the most profound statements humanity can make. It’s the conclusion to all our stories here on earth. “They themselves were fully at rest, they suffer’d not, the living remained and suffer’d.” This quote is profound and simple. As the dead lay there they are finally at rest, but the leave all that remain uneasy. Knowing beforehand that the poem was about the death of Abraham Lincoln was very helpful when reading lines like “And what shall the pictures be that hang on the walls, to adorn the burial-house of him I love?” There were many lines and concepts that I didn’t understand as I read the poem though. I did not understand the “carol of the bird.” I also did not understand the mention of the hermit in the poem. Was that a reference to Abraham Lincoln? And why did he mention songs so much? Despite what I did not understand the poem was still able to touch and move me. I appreciate Walt Whitman for his well chosen words, passion and honesty in writing.