Walt Whitman - I tramp the perpetual journeyMy signs are a rain-proof coat,...

I tramp the perpetual journeyMy signs are a rain-proof coat, good shoes, and a staff cut from the woods, No friend of mine takes his ease in my chair, I have no chair, no philosophy, I lead no man to a dinner-table, library, exchange, But each man and each woman of you I lead upon a knoll, My left hand hooking you round the waist, My right hand pointing to landscapes of continents and the public road. Not I, not any one else can travel that road for you, You must travel it for yourself. It is not far, it is within reach, Perhaps you have been on it since you were born and did not know, Perhaps it is everywhere on water and on land. Shoulder your duds dear son, and I will mine, and let us hasten forth, Wonderful cities and free nations we shall fetch as we go. If you tire, give me both burdens, and rest the chuff of your hand on my hip, And in due time you shall repay the same service to me, For after we start we never lie by again. This day before dawn I ascended a hill and look'd at the crowded heaven, And I said to my spirit When we become the enfolders of those orbs, and the pleasure and knowledge of every thing in them, shall we be fill'd and satisfied then? And my spirit said No, we but level that lift to pass and continue beyond. You are also asking me questions and I hear you, I answer that I cannot answer, you must find out for yourself. Sit a while dear son, Here are biscuits to eat and here is milk to drink, But as soon as you sleep and renew yourself in sweet clothes, I kiss you with a good-by kiss and open the gate for your egress hence. Long enough have you dream'd contemptible dreams, Now I wash the gum from your eyes, You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life. Long have you timidly waded holding a plank by the shore, Now I will you to be a bold swimmer, To jump off in the midst of the sea, rise again, nod to me, shout, and laughingly dash with your hair.

Walt Whitman

They Said So®

Walt Whitman Quotes

;

I tramp the perpetual journeyMy signs are a rain-proof coat, good shoes, and a staff cut from the woods, No friend of mine takes his ease in my chair, I have no chair, no philosophy, I lead no man to a dinner-table, library, exchange, But each man and each woman of you I lead upon a knoll, My left hand hooking you round the waist, My right hand pointing to landscapes of continents and the public road. Not I, not any one else can travel that road for you, You must travel it for yourself. It is not far, it is within reach, Perhaps you have been on it since you were born and did not know, Perhaps it is everywhere on water and on land. Shoulder your duds dear son, and I will mine, and let us hasten forth, Wonderful cities and free nations we shall fetch as we go. If you tire, give me both burdens, and rest the chuff of your hand on my hip, And in due time you shall repay the same service to me, For after we start we never lie by again. This day before dawn I ascended a hill and look'd at the crowded heaven, And I said to my spirit When we become the enfolders of those orbs, and the pleasure and knowledge of every thing in them, shall we be fill'd and satisfied then? And my spirit said No, we but level that lift to pass and continue beyond. You are also asking me questions and I hear you, I answer that I cannot answer, you must find out for yourself. Sit a while dear son, Here are biscuits to eat and here is milk to drink, But as soon as you sleep and renew yourself in sweet clothes, I kiss you with a good-by kiss and open the gate for your egress hence. Long enough have you dream'd contemptible dreams, Now I wash the gum from your eyes, You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life. Long have you timidly waded holding a plank by the shore, Now I will you to be a bold swimmer, To jump off in the midst of the sea, rise again, nod to me, shout, and laughingly dash with your hair. Walt Whitman

They Said So®

Keywords

tramp perpetual journeymy signs rain-proof coat good shoes staff cut woods friend mine takes ease chair philosophy lead man dinner-table library exchange woman knoll left hand hooking round waist pointing landscapes continents public road travel reach born water land shoulder duds dear son hasten wonderful cities free nations fetch tire give burdens rest chuff hip due time repay service start lie day dawn ascended hill ' crowded heaven spirit enfolders orbs pleasure knowledge thing fill' satisfied level lift pass continue questions hear answer find sit biscuits eat milk drink sleep renew sweet clothes kiss good- open gate egress long dream' contemptible dreams wash gum eyes habit dazzle light moment life timidly waded holding plank shore bold swimmer jump midst sea rise nod shout laughingly dash hair

Explore other Authors

Barney Frank

Chris Martin

Snoop Dogg

Edmund Waller

Vita Sackville-West

Henri Barbusse

Alfred Noyes

Mike Krzyzewski

Sarah Zettel

Jacqueline Carey

Barbara Tuchman

Caitlin Moran

If you are using this quote in any webpage , printmedia or any other places please use the following methods to cite this quotation.

MLA Style Citation

"A quote by Walt Whitman" theysaidso.com, 2024. Apr 19, 2024. https://theysaidso.com/quote/walt-whitman-i-tramp-the-perpetual-journeymy-signs-are-a-rain-proof-coat-good-sh

APA Style Citation

"A quote by Walt Whitman" (n.d.). theysaidso.com. Retrieved Apr 19, 2024, from theysaidso.com web site : https://theysaidso.com/quote/walt-whitman-i-tramp-the-perpetual-journeymy-signs-are-a-rain-proof-coat-good-sh

Chicago Style Citation

"A quote by Walt Whitman". theysaidso.com, 2024. https://theysaidso.com/quote/walt-whitman-i-tramp-the-perpetual-journeymy-signs-are-a-rain-proof-coat-good-sh , accessed Apr 19, 2024.

Comments

Authentication required

You must log in to post a comment.

There are no comments yet.