Poem of the Day - Part 73

 Poem of Joys
by Walt Whitman

Poem of Joys, also called Song of Joys, is a long poem published in 1860 by Walt Whitman in his book Leaves of Grass.  I previously used a small excerpt from the poem.  I can't present the whole poem because it's too long.  For example, it has a long section about the joys of being a lobster fisherman and hauling up the lobster pots full of lobsters.  But today I will present several other short excerpts from the poem that I can illustrate.

O the horseman's and horsewoman's joys!

The saddle—the gallop—the pressure upon the seat  

 —the cool gurgling by the ears and hair.

O the joy of the strong-brawned fighter, towering  

 in the arena, in perfect condition, conscious of  

 power, thirsting to meet his opponent.

O of men—of women toward me as I pass—The  

 memory of only one look—the boy lingering  

 and waiting.

O to bathe in the swimming-bath, or in a good place  

 along shore!

To splash the water! to walk ankle-deep; to race  

 naked along the shore.

(Note: this is the excerpt that I had previously used.)

O to have my life henceforth my poem of joys!

To dance, clap hands, exult, shout, skip, leap, roll on, 

 float on,

An athlete—full of rich words—full of joys.