THE HOMOSEXUAL THEME IN WALT WHITMAN'S POETRY

The Analysis of some Pieces of "Calamus" Verse

“Calamus” is the collection of poems which was created by Walt Whitman in 1860’s. Analyzing this collection I can conclude that this period of poet’s life was devoted to exploring the problem of homosexual love. I’ve chosen some poems which brightly demonstrate Whitman’s feelings and emotions aroused by unconventional relationships. Reading this unrithmed and melodious lines, one may find the variety of different thoughts, suppositions, descriptions and colorful comparisons. It’s fiendishly difficult to cover all Whitman’s ideas, because they go one after another in great quantity.

In the poem “These I, singing in spring, collect for lovers,” the poet enumerates picturesque, memorial places which are associated with his friends or comrades, who are now dead or alive:

  Collecting, I traverse the garden, the world – 
           but soon I pass the gates,
  Now along the pond-side – now wanding a little, 
           fearing not the wet,
  Now by the post-and-rail fences, 
           where the old stones thrown there, 
            picked from the fields, have accumulated,
  Wild-flowers and vines and weeds come up through 
           the stones, and partly cover them – 
            Beyond these I pass,

Obviously, this poem is a kind of souvenirs, where Whitman just discusses his life with himself. While sitting alone in silence, he dreams of the spirits of his friends, whom he can imagine very vividly in front of him:

  Solitary, smelling the earthly smell, 
           stopping now and then in silence,
  Alone I had thought – yet soon a 
           silent troop gathers around me,
  Some walk by my side, and some behind, 
           and some embrace my arms or neck,

What is more, Whitman simply wrights in details about what he is doing with his lovers:

  Power enjoying – elbows stretching – 
                          finger clutching,
  Armed and fearless – eating, drinking, 
                          sleeping, loving,

He calls him and his love “We two boys”. The poet is not afraid to say that he has absolutely normal attitude to gay love:

  O I know we should be brethren and lovers,
  I know I should be happy with them.

Whitman admires men, he watches them, dreams of them… Whitman can look at a passing-by stranger and imagine him as his lover: “PASSING stranger! You do not know how longingly I look upon you”. What is peculiar, when he addresses to a man in his poems he uses either capital letters or exclamation marcs to show the significance of his thoughts.

Besides, Whitman sings of pure great love and lovers who despite all the problems, “Through dangers, odium, unchanging, long and long, through youth, and through middle and old age,” could save their feelings. He does not envy respected people like generals who became heroes. Wealth for Whitman is in the second place. In “Calamus” Whitman raises a very serious question for himself: For whom he writes his poems? And the answer is:

  Only these carols, vibrating through the air, I leave
  For comrades and lovers.

Whitman does not strive for perfection, glory or fame. He sees the essence of his poetry in devoting it to America, to common people who will probably share his views.

To sum it up, it is worth noticing that in many cases an aspects Whitman tried to hide his homosexuality because of the time he was living in. However, he was the first American who openly touched the topic of unconventional love. Undoubtedly, the poet tried to conceal some really candid thoughts in “Calamus”. Nevertheless, the general essence of this collection was to show to the society that all men are equal, free and able to think in original way. Whitman managed to express his ideas of gay love despite the limits of the low and the fear of accusation.

Ð¡Ð°Ð¹Ñ‚ ÑÐ¾Ð·Ð´Ð°Ð½ Ð² ÑÐ¸ÑÑ‚ÐµÐ¼Ðµ uCoz