Leaves of grass. :: :: University of Virginia Library

WALT WHITMAN'S DRUM -TAPS. New-York. 1865.

SEQUEL TO DRUM-TAPS. (SINCE THE PRECEDING CAME FROM THE PRESS.) WHEN LILACS LAST IN THE DOOR-YARD BLOOM'D. AND OTHER PIECES.WASHINGTON. 1865-6.

LEAVES OF GRASS. SONGS BEFORE PARTING.

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

2.

UNFOLDED out of the folds of the woman, man comes      unfolded, and is always to come unfolded;
Unfolded only out of the superbest woman of the      earth, is to come the superbest man of the      earth;
Unfolded out of the friendliest woman, is to come the      friendliest man;
Unfolded only out of the perfect body of a woman,      can a man be form'd of perfect body;
Unfolded only out of the inimitable poem of the wo-     man, can come the poems of man — (only      thence have my poems come;)
Unfolded out of the strong and arrogant woman I      love, only thence can appear the strong and      arrogant man I love;
Unfolded by brawny embraces from the well-muscled      woman I love, only thence come the brawny      embraces of the man;
Unfolded out of the folds of the woman's brain, come      all the folds of the man's brain, duly obedient;

287

Unfolded out of the justice of the woman, all justice      is unfolded;
Unfolded out of the sympathy of the woman is all      sympathy:
A man is a great thing upon the earth, and through      eternity — but every jot of the greatness of man      is unfolded out of woman,
First the man is shaped in the woman, he can then be      shaped in himself.