The Classic Whitman, Volume 2

Walt Whitman’s work influenced many later poetic voices, and no work more so than this epic American poem, 'Leaves of Grass', which he spent his entire life writing and constantly revising until his death.

The work heralded a new dynamic relationship in poetry, with its candid and sensual interpretation of his observations and thoughts on the human spirit and all aspects of existence at a time when poetic tradition employed symbolism or allegory.

It has been referred to as the ultimate representation of what America was in the 19th century and is masterfully immortalised by actor Ed Begley.

Words. The building blocks of literature. The ammunition to wrench emotion from brain to lip to life. All languages of the world have a unique capacity to convey information in many forms. Among them; as concise instructions, as many sided conversations and as great literature. And within literature these same words can be used in different ways to capture our hearts, our souls, our desires with simple yet unexpected phrasing. The ear has no problem being captivated by their use.

Whether Shakespeare requests ‘If music be the food of love, play on’ or Tennyson in heart breaking desire ‘Tis better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all’ or the simple statement of Pope ‘To err is human; to forgive, divine’ or the rage of Dylan Thomas ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ or the delicious question of Elizabeth Barrett Browning ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.’

We are moved by them all because they are both eloquent and emotional. They speak of us and directly to us. Poetry does what no other use of words can do; they explore, nourish and reflect the many facets of the human condition.