Group Annotation Jen and Nadia 11-19-09

Below is the remainder of the poem titled “Last of Ebb, and Daylight Waning” and its annotation….

 

 

 

As of speakers far or hid.

 

How they sweep down and out! how they mutter!
Poets unnamed–artists greatest of any, with cherish’d lost designs,
Love’s unresponse–a chorus of age’s complaints–hope’s last words,
Some suicide’s despairing cry, Away to the boundless waste, and
never again return.

 

On to oblivion then!
On, on, and do your part, ye burying, ebbing tide!
On for your time, ye furious debouche!

 

Then to those far and away

The pool whirls and is loud 

There goes the great poets of this time

Here goes all my complaints and wishes

They disappear in the forever churning tide 

Forever in eternity

Keep churning tide

Do it forever you strong tide

 

Below  is the annotation for “And yet not you Alone”….

 

And yet not you alone, twilight and burying ebb,

Nor you, ye lost designs alone–nor failures, aspirations;

I know, divine deceitful ones, your glamour’s seeming;

Duly by you, from you, the tide and light again–duly the hinges turning,

Duly the needed discord-parts offsetting, blending,

Weaving from you, from Sleep, Night, Death itself,

The rhythmus of Birth eternal.

 

You are not alone even though you are surrounded by the twilight

You are not alone even through all the failures

The light overcomes the dark

The switch always is turning from light to dark

The both parts are tricking but are combined

When its night, people sleep, then the dark represents death

This leads to the afterlife

 

Finally the last poem “Proudly the Flood Comes In”…

 

PROUDLY the flood comes in, shouting, foaming, advancing, 

Long it holds at the high, with bosom broad outswelling, 

All throbs, dilates – the farms, woods, streets of cities – workmen at 
work, 

Mainsails, topsails, jibs, appear in the offing-steamers’ pennants 
of smoke-and under the forenoon sun, 

Freighted with human lives, gaily the outward bound, gaily the 
inward bound, 

 

The flood comes in without hesitation

It floods so much without holding back

It floods the farms, woods, and cities

Ships appear to help

Many people are scared, but they are helped by the ship*

 

What makes these poems interesting is the fact that they have much to do with water which is a powerful force and needed for survival. Whitman loves to personify water in this section and also the sun and dark. My favorite part is how he connects the darkness and twilight the passing into the afterlife. It sounds so beautifully magical-almost vampireish. 

 

November 19 2009 04:57 pm | Uncategorized

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