Saturday, May 19, 2012

Much Unseen is Also Here

"Afoot and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.
Henceforth I ask not good-fortune— I myself am good fortune;
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Strong and content, I travel the open road. 

The earth—that is sufficient; 
I do not want the constellations any nearer;
I know they are very well where they are; 
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.  

(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens; 
I carry them, men and women—I carry them with me wherever I go; 
I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them; 
I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.) 

 
You road I enter upon and look around!
I believe you are not all that is here; 
I believe that much unseen is also here."
-   Walt Whitman, "Song of the Open Road," Leaves of Grass, 1890.  



Walking: Quotations, Sayings, Poems, Lore

2 comments:

  1. Delightful day in Tennessee. The unseen that is also here continues to mystify and entertain me. You seem like a happy old soul. Nice to share the planet with you. Tommy Typical...

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  2. Tom, wee visited the beautiful Sate of Tennessee about ten times when I was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, from 1969-1973. We enjoyed the beautiful lakes and streams, outstanding deciduous forests and plantings, and the replica of the Parthenon in Nashville. The autumn colors of the trees in Tennessee are the best I have ever seen.
    Yep, I am a content old man.
    Nice to share Mother Earth with you. Cheers, Mike

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