After The Sea-Ship
AFTER
the
Sea-Ship—after
the
whistling
winds;
After
the
white-gray
sails,
taut
to
their
spars
and
ropes,
Below,
a
myriad,
myriad
waves,
hastening,
lifting
up
their
necks,
Tending
in
ceaseless
flow
toward
the
track
of
the
ship:
Waves
of
the
ocean,
bubbling
and
gurgling,
blithely
prying,
Waves,
undulating
waves—liquid,
uneven,
emulous
waves,
Toward
that
whirling
current,
laughing
and
buoyant,
with
curves,
Where
the
great
Vessel,
sailing
and
tacking,
displaced
the
surface;
Larger
and
smaller
waves,
in
the
spread
of
the
ocean,
yearnfully
flowing;
The
wake
of
the
Sea-Ship,
after
she
passes—flashing
and
frolicsome,
under
the
sun,
A
motley
procession,
with
many
a
fleck
of
foam,
and
many
fragments,
Following
the
stately
and
rapid
Ship—in
the
wake
following.
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.