Leaves of Grass

The speaker of the poem is clearly a persona of Whitman himself. He opens by celebrating his boundless, universal self that connects with all humanity. He promises his reader universal knowledge through the reading of his poems. He explains how, even when he is engaging in the usual daily activities like socializing and following the news, he also stands back, as if he is apart from it all, acting as a calm, silent observer. The speaker then describes the time when he experienced moments of transcendent peace and joy and realized the intimate relationship he has with God. He also became aware that the essence of creation is love.

After a child asks what grass is, the speaker reflects on grass as an example of the constant transformation of life from one thing into another: There is no death; everything, including himself and all of creation, is immortal. He then observes people’s daily lives: An omnibus driver, a sick man being conveyed to the hospital, a fight in the street, women suddenly feeling labor pains. He envisions himself performing all kinds of activities: helping other workers at harvest time, hunting in the wilds and the mountains, observing a merchant sailing ship, encountering boatmen and clamdiggers one morning and joining them in their work.