Ah Poverties, Wincings Sulky Retreats
AH
poverties,
wincings,
and
sulky
retreats!
Ah
you
foes
that
in
conflict
have
overcome
me!
(For
what
is
my
life,
or
any
man's
life,
but
a
conflict
with
foes—
the
old,
the
incessant
war?)
You
degradations—you
tussle
with
passions
and
appetites;
You
smarts
from
dissatisfied
friendships,
(ah
wounds,
the
sharpest
of
all
You
toil
of
painful
and
choked
articulations—you
meannesses;
You
shallow
tongue-talks
at
tables,
(my
tongue
the
shallowest
of
any
You
broken
resolutions,
you
racking
angers,
you
smother'd
ennuis;
Ah,
think
not
you
finally
triumph—My
real
self
has
yet
to
come
forth;
It
shall
yet
march
forth
o'ermastering,
till
all
lies
beneath
me;
It
shall
yet
stand
up
the
soldier
of
unquestion'd
victory.
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.