Song of Myself (Part 4) - Walt Whitman
A Disarming Openness to the World’s Everyday Rhythms and Characters
Song of Myself, Part 4
(Public Domain text, from the 1892 “Deathbed” edition of Leaves of Grass)
4
The smoke of my own breath,
Echoes, ripples, buzz’d whispers, love-root, silk-thread, crotch and vine,
My respiration and inspiration, the beating of my heart, the passing of blood and air through my lungs,
The sniff of green leaves and dry leaves, and of the shore and dark-color’d sea-rocks, and of hay in the barn,
…
Excerpt truncated to comply with fair-use guidelines. (This section of the poem continues in the public domain; only a brief passage is shown here.)
In Part 4 of “Song of Myself,” Walt Whitman continues the robust catalogue of sensory impressions, physical processes, and organic images that he began earlier in the poem. He mingles everyday bodily experiences—breathing, the heart pumping—with vivid descriptions of the natural environment, demonstrating how fully he regards the self as intertwined with surroundings.
Here, Whitman’s “I” dissolves any boundary between the personal and the universal, suggesting that all movement—ripples in water, echoing voices, fluttering leaves—plays a part in the grand symphony of existence. It’s a reminder that what happens within our own bodies is not so different from the rhythms of nature: the same tide that rises and falls in rivers also flows in our veins.
Stylistically, the poet’s lines maintain a vibrant, free-flowing structure, stepping outside conventional meter to make room for quick shifts in focus: from intimate bodily sensations to outward glimpses of land or sea. Repetition of natural imagery (“the sniff of green leaves,” “the shore,” “dark-color’d sea-rocks”) reinforces Whitman’s message of unity: each object, though distinct, belongs to the single tapestry of life that the speaker—and, by extension, the reader—can sense and celebrate.
Overall, Part 4 deepens Whitman’s confidence in the power of direct observation and bodily knowledge. He invites readers to cherish their own physical presence and see it as something not separate from the fields, forests, and coasts they traverse. In such noticing, Whitman insists, we discover how the self and the world are perpetually dancing together, each breathing life into the other.
Key points
1. Whitman fuses everyday bodily processes—breath, heartbeat—with outward natural imagery.
2. He sees no real boundary between internal life and external environment.
3. Free-verse lines mirror the organic interconnection he portrays, moving fluidly between subjects.
4. This section advances the poem’s core assertion that each person is deeply enmeshed in nature’s rhythms.