Poem by Walt Whitman

Leaves of Grass. 24. Autumn Rivulets. 34. Wandering at Morn

Wandering at morn,
Emerging from the night from gloomy thoughts, thee in my thoughts,
Yearning for thee harmonious Union! thee, singing bird divine!
Thee coil'd in evil times my country, with craft and black dismay,
      with every meanness, treason thrust upon thee,
This common marvel I beheld—the parent thrush I watch'd feeding its young,
The singing thrush whose tones of joy and faith ecstatic,
Fail not to certify and cheer my soul.

There ponder'd, felt I,
If worms, snakes, loathsome grubs, may to sweet spiritual songs be turn'd,
If vermin so transposed, so used and bless'd may be,
Then may I trust in you, your fortunes, days, my country;
Who knows but these may be the lessons fit for you?
From these your future song may rise with joyous trills,
Destin'd to fill the world.

1. Leaves of Grass. 35. Good-Bye My Fancy. 13. Bravo, Paris Exposition!
2. Leaves of Grass. 30. Whispers of Heavenly Death. 7. Assurances
3. Leaves of Grass. 34. Sands at Seventy. 56. Old Age's Lambent Peaks
4. Leaves of Grass. 34. Sands at Seventy. 39. Life and Death
5. Leaves of Grass. 24. Autumn Rivulets. 36. With All Thy Gifts

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