Talk:Walt Whitman: Difference between revisions

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== A perfect short poem makes up for many smears ==
== Not attempting a biography here==
I'm spent a fair amount of time reading ''Leaves of Grass'', and I don't consider it to be easy for mainstream readers.  I included in this article two brief examples of Whitman writing at his very best.  The short poem 'A Noiseless Patient Spider' is on a par with the greatest short poems in the world. Whitman's 'Spider' reminds me of an even shorter gem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a highly prolific German author born half a century before WhitmanGoethe's 'Wanderer's Nightsong II' (''Über allen Gipfeln'') is difficult to translate without losing much of its haunting beauty, but that didn't stop Wadsworth from trying. So here it is, another tiny perfect gem of a poem, in good company with 'Spider':[[User:Pat Palmer|Pat Palmer]] ([[User talk:Pat Palmer|talk]]) 18:10, 20 September 2020 (UTC)
People seem to be obsessed with analyzing Whitman's life, in particular with trying to prove whether he was gay or not.  That is done so extensively elsewhere that I have not even attempted it here, besides which, I am of the school of thought which believes that an author's written work should speak for itselfInstead of worry so much about his unusual life, I included a couple of short excerpts of his writing, because there is so much verbiage ''about'' Whitman that people may not have had a chance simply to read the work he left behind to be readI'm of the opinion that his work would stand as valuable even if one knows absolutely nothing about the man or the life he lived. [[User:Pat Palmer|Pat Palmer]] ([[User talk:Pat Palmer|talk]]) 21:09, 22 September 2020 (UTC)


Über allen Gipfeln
== Recommendation to read an intro last ==
Ist Ruh,
For anyone reading Leaves of Grass, I recommend skipping any introduction provided by a third party and going straight to the text written by Whitman. Most paperback and hardcopy editions I've seen come with long-winded intros that really add nothingIf you must read them, read them ''after'' you've read the text. Otherwise, it will be like seeing a movie when someone told you spoilers, and also, their opinions will likely color your own reaction.[[User:Pat Palmer|Pat Palmer]] ([[User talk:Pat Palmer|talk]]) 10:00, 19 October 2022 (CDT)
  In allen Wipfeln
 
Spürest du
== Notes ==
Kaum einen Hauch;
<references/>
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
  Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
O'er all the hilltops
  Is quiet now,
In all the treetops
Hearest thou
Hardly a breath;
The birds are asleep in the trees:
Wait, soon like these
Thou too shalt rest. (H. W. Longfellow, translator)

Latest revision as of 09:11, 19 October 2022

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 Definition (1819-92) American poet and essayist, famous for his flowing free verse in Leaves of Grass, including 'A Noiseless Patient Spider' [d] [e]
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Not attempting a biography here

People seem to be obsessed with analyzing Whitman's life, in particular with trying to prove whether he was gay or not. That is done so extensively elsewhere that I have not even attempted it here, besides which, I am of the school of thought which believes that an author's written work should speak for itself. Instead of worry so much about his unusual life, I included a couple of short excerpts of his writing, because there is so much verbiage about Whitman that people may not have had a chance simply to read the work he left behind to be read. I'm of the opinion that his work would stand as valuable even if one knows absolutely nothing about the man or the life he lived. Pat Palmer (talk) 21:09, 22 September 2020 (UTC)

Recommendation to read an intro last

For anyone reading Leaves of Grass, I recommend skipping any introduction provided by a third party and going straight to the text written by Whitman. Most paperback and hardcopy editions I've seen come with long-winded intros that really add nothing. If you must read them, read them after you've read the text. Otherwise, it will be like seeing a movie when someone told you spoilers, and also, their opinions will likely color your own reaction.Pat Palmer (talk) 10:00, 19 October 2022 (CDT)

Notes