After an Interval
(November
22,
1875,
Midnight—Saturn
and
Mars
in
Conjunction)
AFTER
an
interval,
reading,
here
in
the
midnight,
With
the
great
stars
looking
on—all
the
stars
of
Orion
looking,
And
the
silent
Pleiades—and
the
duo
looking
of
Saturn
and
ruddy
Mars;
Pondering,
reading
my
own
songs,
after
a
long
interval,
(sorrow
and
death
familiar
now)
Ere
closing
the
book,
what
pride!
what
joy!
to
find
them
Standing
so
well
the
test
of
death
and
night,
And
the
duo
of
Saturn
and
Mars!
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman, (born May 31, 1819, West Hills, Long Island, New York, U.S.—died March 26, 1892, Camden, New Jersey), American poet, journalist, and essayist whose verse collection Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855, is a landmark in the history of American literature. Walt Whitman’s poetry was innovative for its verse style and for the way it challenged traditional narratives. He championed the individual soul over social conventions, presenting himself as a rough and free spirit. His poetry has continued to resonate with new generations of Americans, and he is considered a symbol of American democracy.