As At Thy Portals Also Death
AS
at
thy
portals
also
death,
Entering
thy
sovereign,
dim,
illimitable
grounds,
To
memories
of
my
mother,
to
the
divine
blending,
maternity,
To
her,
buried
and
gone,
yet
buried
not,
gone
not
from
me,
(I
see
again
the
calm
benignant
face
fresh
and
beautiful
still,
I
sit
by
the
form
in
the
coffin,
I
kiss
and
kiss
convulsively
again
the
sweet
old
lips,
the
cheeks,
the
closed
eyes
in
the
coffin
To
her,
the
ideal
woman,
practical,
spiritual,
of
all
of
earth,
life,
love,
to
me
the
best,
I
grave
a
monumental
line,
before
I
go,
amid
these
songs,
And
set
a
tombstone
here.
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.