Death has the
greatest
purport.
Whitman
5.
Great is Language--it is the mightiest of the sciences,
It is the fulness, colour, form, diversity of the earth, and of men and
women, and of all qualities and processes;
It is greater than wealth, it is greater than buildings, ships, religions,
paintings, music.
Great is the English speech--what speech is so great as the English?
Great is the English brood--what brood has so vast a destiny as the
English?
It is the mother of the brood that must rule the earth with the new rule;
The new rule shall rule as the Soul rules, and as the love, justice,
equality in the Soul rule.
6.
Great is Law--great are the old few landmarks of the law,
They are the same in all times, and shall not be disturbed.
Great is Justice!
Justice is not settled by legislators and laws--it is in the Soul;
It cannot be varied by statutes, any more than love, pride, the attraction
of gravity, can;
It is immutable--it does not depend on majorities--majorities or what not
come at last before the same passionless and exact tribunal.
For justice are the grand natural lawyers, and perfect judges--it is in
their souls;
It is well assorted--they have not studied for nothing--the great includes
the less;
They rule on the highest grounds--they oversee all eras, states,
administrations.
The perfect judge fears nothing--he could go front to front before God;
Before the perfect judge all shall stand back--life and death shall stand
back--heaven and hell shall stand back.
7.
Great is Life, real and mystical, wherever and whoever;
Great is Death--sure as Life holds all parts together, Death holds all
parts together.
Has Life much purport? --Ah!
Death has the greatest purport.
_THE POET. _
1.
Now list to my morning's romanza;
To the cities and farms I sing, as they spread in the sunshine before me.
2.
A young man came to me bearing a message from his brother;
How should the young man know the whether and when of his brother?
Tell him to send me the signs.
And I stood before the young man face to face, and took his right hand in
my left hand, and his left hand in my right hand,
And I answered for his brother, and for men, and I answered for THE POET,
and sent these signs.
Him all wait for--him all yield up to--his word is decisive and final,
Him they accept, in him lave, in him perceive themselves, as amid light,
Him they immerse, and he immerses them.
Beautiful women, the haughtiest nations, laws, the landscape, people,
animals,
The profound earth and its attributes, and the unquiet ocean (so tell I my
morning's romanza),
All enjoyments and properties, and money, and whatever money will buy,
The best farms--others toiling and planting, and he unavoidably reaps,
The noblest and costliest cities--others grading and building, and he
domiciles there,
Nothing for any one but what is for him--near and far are for him,--the
ships in the offing,
The perpetual shows and marches on land, are for him, if they are for
anybody.
He puts things in their attitudes;
He puts to-day out of himself, with plasticity and love;
He places his own city, times, reminiscences, parents, brothers and
sisters, associations, employment, politics, so that the rest never
shame them afterward, nor assume to command them.
He is the answerer;
What can be answered he answers--and what cannot be answered, he shows how
it cannot be answered.
3.
A man is a summons and challenge;
(It is vain to skulk--Do you hear that mocking and laughter? Do you hear
the ironical echoes? )
Books, friendships, philosophers, priests, action, pleasure, pride, beat up
and down, seeking to give satisfaction;
He indicates the satisfaction, and indicates them that beat up and down
also.
