Talk:Walt Whitman: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Pat Palmer
No edit summary
imported>Pat Palmer
No edit summary
Line 21: Line 21:
  Wait, soon like these
  Wait, soon like these
  Thou too shalt rest. (H. W. Longfellow, translator)
  Thou too shalt rest. (H. W. Longfellow, translator)
== Notes ==
<references/>

Revision as of 13:18, 20 September 2020

This article is developing and not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
To learn how to update the categories for this article, see here. To update categories, edit the metadata template.
 Definition (1819-92) American poet and essayist, famous for his flowing free verse in Leaves of Grass, including 'A Noiseless Patient Spider' [d] [e]
Checklist and Archives
 Workgroup category Literature [Categories OK]
 Talk Archive none  English language variant British English

A perfect short poem is rare, and Whitman made one

I've spent a fair amount of time reading Leaves of Grass, and I don't consider it to be easy for mainstream readers. I included in this article two brief examples of Whitman writing at his very best. The short poem 'A Noiseless Patient Spider' is on a par with the greatest short poems in the world, including Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's lyrical 'Wanderer's Nightsong II' (Über allen Gipfeln), considered one of the best poems ever written in German[1]:Pat Palmer (talk) 18:10, 20 September 2020 (UTC)

Über allen Gipfeln
Ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.
O'er all the hilltops
Is quiet now,
In all the treetops
Hearest thou
Hardly a breath;
The birds are asleep in the trees:
Wait, soon like these
Thou too shalt rest. (H. W. Longfellow, translator)

Notes

  1. Because Goethe's poem is lyrical and includes both rhyming and alliteration, it loses much in translation.