Song at SunsetWalt Whitman

Biographical Information

• Two topics covered extensively by Walt Whitman included nature and spirituality

• Whitman personally befriended Transcendentalist writers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote a glowing letter praising Leaves of Grass

• Transcendentalism, a philosophy of which Whitman was a follower, espoused the concept of finding spiritual truth through nature

• Whitman was one of the first poets to use free verse, a form of poetry which does not rely on rhymes or metrical patterns

Line-by-Line Explication

• The first stanza begins with word “splendor” describing the beauty and majesty of sunset, which the speaker thrives on. This time allows the speaker both to clearly remember the past and glimpse what the future holds. The phrase “divine average” is used to show the sacred, spiritual nature of the connection the speaker shares with the natural world. This connection is compared to a song throughout the poem, first when the speaker declares: “I sing.”

• The second stanza begins with the speaker relating the happiness nature makes his soul feel and the utter flawlessness he sees in it. The word “things” is used here to describe everyday natural elements that people take for granted but that the speaker sees as sacred and meaningful to his life.

• The word “illustrious” is repeated at the start of each line in the third stanza to show the importance of seemingly unmemorable natural processes that take

place in humans and other beings. The speaker celebrates speech, touch, sound, sight, and other senses in the body.

• The fourth stanza shows the goodness that exists in all facets of the world. The speaker loves the confidence exhibited by animals and the way they interact with nature. He even sees the positive side of aging and the different stages of life. He loves and celebrates youth, manhood, old age, and even death.

• In the fifth stanza, the speaker demonstrates the importance of the physical body as a way of interacting with the rest of the world. He elevates the role of the body as the medium through which he can maintain contact with other people. The word “God” is used here not to mean a supernatural being, but to symbolize an enlightened human. The speaker loves this idea of being spiritually elevated and connecting with others like him.

• In the seventh stanza, man’s connection with nature is once again compared with a song. The speaker calls this connection a “strained musical” and refers to it as “chords.” He says that this musical is continuous and never ending; He rejoices that this song has now arrived in his own country of America.

• In the sixth stanza, the speaker states his belief that each facet of nature is a living, breathing being with a powerful soul. He personifies water, trees, and clouds as singings, standing, and passing overhead. He says to himself in an aside, “Surely it must be alive!”

• The word “carol” is used to continue the motif of song in the eighth stanza. The earth is referred to as having a brain and thinking, constantly growing and developing. The speaker feels this natural thought within himself.

• The speaker recalls his personal experiences throughout America, whether it be sailing down the Mississippi River or traveling through the Western prairies. He chooses to be happy and cheerful regardless of circumstance, even in war.

• In the final stanza, the sun is finally completing its cycle for the day. The word “warble” is used as yet another reference to song. The speaker concludes that he will praise the sun and all of nature completely, as long as he lives.

• Nature is again portrayed as an endless cycle, repeating over and over again. The speaker sees the universe as truly perfect and flawless. He chooses to see life in an exclusively positive light without any negatives.

Literary Devices

• Metaphor- The speaker’s “windows” are a metaphor for his eyes, the instrument through which he sees the world. This emphasizes the clarity through which he envisions the world around him.

• Parallelism- Each stanza outside of stanzas one and eleven begins with a key word or phrase such as “Illustrious,” “In the,” or “As I.” This similar structure provides continuity and completeness throughout the poem. This mimics the continuous relationship between man and the physical world.

• Personification- In stanza six, different elements of nature are given human qualities to demonstrate their lifelike qualities. The earth, sun, moon, and stars “dart on and on.” The water “sports and sings.” The trees “rise and stand up.” This device carries out one of the core ideas presented by the speaker: that nature is a living entity.

• Catalogues- In stanza nine, the speaker gives an exhaustive list of his experiences within America. He lists his travels in the Mississippi, the prairies, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Chicago and even the Civil War. This device amplifies the speaker’s message throughout the poem, enforcing his ideals with countless details and specifics.

• Allusion- In stanza nine, the speaker lists his travels throughout America. The “Mississippi” is an allusion to the Mississippi River. The speaker’s reference to the “prairies” alludes to the burgeoning American West as a whole. The “Eastern Sea” and “Western Sea” are references to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. “Inland Chicago” refers to the city of Chicago, Illinois, and the war mentioned by the speaker is the War for Southern Independence, known by a few as the Civil War. These allusions inform the audience of the speaker’s message to the people of America, and one can infer that his message is meant especially for them.

• Irony- In stanza four, the speaker relates the “super vistas of death.” This is ironic because death is almost always thought of as a negative time rather than a “superb” time. The speaker seems almost to look forward to death as just another adventure.

• Enjambment- This is another device which occurs abundantly in the poem. The author does not complete a thought for each line, but rather continues these thoughts regardless of line. Semicolons are used copiously, and a sentence often lasts several lines. One example occurs in stanza five. These lines present one thought, but the thought is divided over six lines. This allows the poem to flow, particularly when read aloud. Each stanza can be read as one idea without stopping at the end of each line.

• Alliteration- This appears in the very first line of the poem, with the words “floating” and “filling.” This is used for the purpose of bringing attention to the phrase, in which the speaker is describing the way he feels at the hour of sunset.

• Anaphora- In all but two stanzas, a word or phrases is repeated at the beginning of each line. In stanza three particularly, the word “Illustrious” is repeated at the beginning of each line. The phrase “I too” is repeated in each line of the eighth stanza. This adds clarity and reinforcement to the poem’s message.

Theme

• The poem “Song at Sunset” by Walt Whitman is about the connection between man and nature, and reveals that man can achieve spiritual enlightenment through the natural world by means of his physical body. The speaker celebrates his own body as sacred, the medium through which he touches the world around him. The beauty of nature is of supreme importance, as well as the elegance which speaker sees in simple interactions such as those among miniscule insects.

• The poem’s purpose is to celebrate the continuous relationship, both spiritual and physical, between the individual, nature, and the rest of society. It also reveals the truth and happiness that can be found by utilizing this connection.

Works Cited

"Guide to Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 2005. Web. 26 Jan. 2010. <http://www.poets.org/media/

8_WhitmanReadingGuide.pdf>