November 08, 2008

A little weekend Whitman--and a bonus


I hear America's kitties singing.

How about a little weekend Walt?


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 the 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 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.


And, at no extra charge, here's a nice music video from Leonard Cohen.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: NO IDEA

4 comments:

Jason said...

I've just finished looking at the first two books of The Republic for my Plato class, so this "weekend Walt" was most appropriate.

El Cabrero said...

Nothing like a little Plato to clear the palate! Have you noticed that a lot of Whitman's poetry consists of lists?

Anonymous said...

I hadn’t realized how deeply I had fallen into cynicism & despair over the past 8 years until I found myself actually enjoying reading about government, politics &”the future” again, since Tuesday’s election.
“Goat Rope” is one of the few “windows on the world” that I look forward to every morning… but even the most optimistic post is always tempered with: The Goat Rope Advisory Level…
Imagine my surprise (and Joy!) at seeing today’s Level at “No Idea”… perhaps we are leaning towards a hope for a better tomorrow… Thanks, Rick
Tom Robertson
Community College of Baltimore County-Essex

El Cabrero said...

Hi Tom,
Thanks so much for your comment. I hope you're right about a better tomorrow! The wheel of Fortuna has certainly turned.