 | Leaves of grass (1872) |  |
1
1
Brother of all, with generous hand,Of thee, pondering on thee, as o'er thy tomb, I and my Soul,
A thought to launch in memory of thee,
A burial verse for thee.
2
What may we chant, O thou within this tomb?What tablets, pictures, hang for thee, O millionaire?
—The life thou lived'st we know not,
But that thou walk'dst thy years in barter, 'mid the haunts of brokers;
Nor heroism thine, nor war, nor glory.
3
Yet lingering, yearning, joining soul with thine,If not thy past we chant, we chant the future,
Select, adorn the future.
| Leaves of grass (1872) | |