He was never a popular poet in the United States before his death, but after his death, generations of American poets and foreign poets were deeply influenced by him.
Very difficult. So, sometimes he has to go back to his father to do carpentry (or do carpentry and write part-time). He started to be slovenly, which was completely different from before. He changed into an open-necked worker's suit, wore a wide-brimmed woolen hat and put his hands in his pockets, showing a heroic spirit. This has also become the standard image of Whitman that we are familiar with from the photos.
Whitman claimed that after 30 years old, he was determined to jump out of the cunning whirlpool of party politics and turn to fighting in the spiritual field. In a review of the past (1888), he said: I didn't win the recognition of the era I lived in, but retreated to my beloved dream of the future. However, the road to poetry is also full of thorns. According to his biographical data, Whitman suffered a real spiritual crisis before the outbreak of the Civil War. When I was at low tide with my life, his poems were obviously covered with confusion and melancholy: Ah! Failure, frustration, almost stumbling, I am angry with myself, I regret not speaking out boldly. Now I understand that among those who talk nonsense and hurt me in turn, I have never thought about my identity at all. Except in front of my arrogant poems, the real me is still standing there, untouched, unexplained and not close at all. It retreated far away, taunting me with mixed gestures and bows, and writing to me.
I found that I don't know anything, I don't even know anything, and no one can. Here, you can see the sea, and nature takes the opportunity to surprise me and stab me just because I dare to sing.
The direct influence of the civil war is to get rid of his spiritual depression, wake up from the abstract and ethereal eternal thought and devote himself to the cruel reality of blood and fire (of course, eternal thought is also an essential dimension for a poet). 1862, his brother George was injured in the battle. Whitman rushed to Virginia to take care of him and lived in Washington for a long time.
In fact, he took the initiative to act as a nurse. He not only bandaged the wounded soldiers, but also wrote them letters from home, read poems and articles, filed applications, and treated the Yugoslav army and the Northern Army equally. I worked until 1872 after the war.
Since the end of the civil war, Whitman's financial situation has been stretched, and he worked as a clerk in government departments twice. 1873, 54-year-old Whitman unfortunately suffered a stroke and moved to New Jersey to recuperate and live with his brother George. By 1885, Whitman was unable to walk, and some famous writers, including Mark Twain, donated money to buy him a two-wheeled light carriage. At the end of the following year, it was suggested that Whitman should get a living allowance after working in the hospital for many years, but he didn't get it. 1In April of 888, Whitman suffered another stroke. 1On March 26th, 892, Whitman passed away at his residence in Camden.
Maybe we should believe in genius. If we don't believe that Whitman is a genius, it will be difficult for us to find a genius in world poetry. However, genius never falls from the sky. Apart from the limited study in his early years, Whitman's tempering and self-education throughout his youth is by no means an unavoidable fact. As we all know, when Leaves of Grass was published in 1855, Whitman was 37 years old, while other wizards in the history of poetry, such as Byron, Pushkin and Rambo, basically only lived to this age. Of course, poetic genius cannot be based on age alone, but there should be no objection to saying that Whitman is not a precocious figure. In fact, what really needs to be pointed out is that Whitman's genius is not his precocity at all, but a special creativity and innovation ability.
If a large number of articles before Whitman can only be regarded as seeking for rice or writing for practice, the text value is not important, but they are of great significance in the history of his personal thought development. Give an example that only involves literature. In "Native Literature" (1846), Whitman wrote at the beginning: Those who want to see this noble republic not only in name, but also in practice, must remember that European literature has many benefits and great harms to us, and we hope that this harm will not be tolerated any more. There are often flashy criticisms of English works, and we have no intention to deny them, but the harm is to live on the other side: we blindly worship anyone who bears the seal recognized by foreign critics, and we accept them just because of this seal.
Compared with the literary environment at that time, young Whitman's problem consciousness and insight are quite extraordinary: we should express our admiration and respect for the outstanding creation of European masters (he listed a series of names, including Shakespeare, Goethe, Byron, Rousseau, Hume, Gibbon and so on). , and clarified their respective meanings).
However, people are not keen on the stars who shine the light of European culture, but just some inferior writers, and it is intolerable to ignore the excellent works that have been produced in our country: since there are so many prestigious writers in China, don't let readers condescend to inferior foreign writers.
About 80 years after the War of Independence, a piece of literary achievements did emerge on American soil: Emerson's Representative (1850), Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850), Melville's Moby Dick (1852) and Thoreau's. Moreover, the combination and breakthrough of romantic literary movement and transcendentalism philosophy not only makes American literature stand out in the sense of national literature, but also makes people of insight look forward to the birth of a real American poet. At this point, Whitman was born, and it can be said that it came into being.
The publication of Leaves of Grass is a unique event in the history of American poetry. But its fate seems to be particularly consistent with the old hostility. /kloc-in the second half of the 0/9th century, the conservative forces of Longfellow and Lowell in American poetry circles still prevailed.
Coincidentally, it was also in 1855 that Longfellow published his epic Song of the Sea of Warsaw, which naturally received rave reviews. However, Leaves of Grass was only typeset and printed by an unknown author. In addition to sending a few copies, there are few sales records, and even one of the author's brothers turned it over, which was deeply surprised and puzzled. A famous poet received a blade of grass and threw it directly into the stove. By the time the second edition of Leaves of Grass (1860) was published, The New York Times was still attacking Whitman and vilifying the highest model of mankind. Although Leaves of Grass has been published for nine editions in name, its cold reception in business is clear enough, and even the author clearly admits it. The dying edition edited by the author from publication to death (1892). In the past 30 years, the negative evaluation of it by American literary circles has been overwhelming. Only a few people, such as Emerson and Thoreau, stood up and spoke highly of it. In Britain, Leaves of Grass is much luckier. William Rossetti, Tennyson and others all expressed great appreciation for it. Even Mrs. Anne Jill Crist has a unique eye for pearls, deeply impressed by its natural vitality and broad vision, and has always loved its author (this friendship lasted until Whitman's later years, giving the poet great comfort).
As a typical calligrapher, Whitman may not have a complete and unified system in poetics, but he does not lack a fundamental principle-organic theory is such a principle that will guide his life: in order to implement it, he devoted his life to modifying, supplementing and perfecting it, so that it can go through the process of development, growth and maturity like a living life.
The poet named the work that condensed all his efforts with Leaves of Grass. There is a theme in the book: where there is land and water, grass grows. Later, I said more clearly in the inscription collection: I sang my own, a single individual,/but I should use the word democracy and use the voice of the word whole.
Whitman wants to express himself as the representative of all and write a personal epic. The great Argentine poet Borges saw with his unique understanding that this is an absolute book, a book in a book, which contains everything. From the structure of the dying edition of Leaves of Grass, it is not difficult to find the efforts to be symmetrical with its organic theory. Among all the more than 400 poems, Yan Ming is the program; Then, Song of Me shows the whole mental outlook. Then Descendants of Adam and Reed Flute Collection are like life entering the stage of youth, singing the theme of love and friendship, Migratory Birds Collection, Ocean Current Collection and Songs by the Road. What you see is what you get. If life develops further, you will witness and live in poetry. "Drum Collection" and "Memories of President Lincoln" record the special stages of relative passion (or depression) in life and history, and present the most important theme of praising democracy in the poet's life; Autumn flow, whispering of the holy death, from noon to starry night, are quiet and open places for middle-aged and elderly people. Finally, three series of songs, Parting, Farewell, My Fantasy and Echo of Old Age, express the fullness and echo of life. Under these headings, different numbers of poems are collected, which are actually a group of poems, shaped like variations under the theme. Among these large-scale poems, there are 25 independent and interrelated poems, from "Starting from Baminok" to "A Scene in Baminok", which form multiple interludes. In this way, the main line and the auxiliary line cross each other, criss-crossing, forming a unique collection of poems in the history of American and even world literature.
In fact, the first edition of Leaves of Grass has only twelve separate works, which were gradually supplemented and finally completed in the next thirty years. If I only read one of Whitman's works, I think it should be the first edition of the open-book work My Song. However, it didn't have a title at that time. The title of the second edition is "About an American-walt whitman", and the seventh edition is determined as "My own song". This is perhaps the most famous poem in the poem: walt whitman, a universe, son of Manhattan, rough, fat, lustful, eating and drinking, not a sentimental person, not above men and women, not divorced from them, not humble, not presumptuous.
("My own song")
These poems set the tone of the poet's life, and both ideas and forms were completely divorced from the popular romantic poems at that time. Now Leaves of Grass is regarded as a source of modern American poetry. Whitman, like Columbus in a poem, discovered a new continent and brought all human activities in this land into his own field of vision. He praised the solemnity and sacredness of ordinary life with a fanaticism close to religion. Inspired by the strong optimistic democratic spirit, he embraced all the people and merged with the United States of America. He especially praised every individual on which democracy depends, and every individual represents the whole and the universe. His pantheism endowed him with the power of the unity of God and man. What is particularly worth reading is that he particularly emphasizes personal dignity. Every time he talks about individuals, he is by no means talking about an abstract concept. He emphasized the physical essence of individual existence. They are all modern people with gender, thought, emotion and soul.
I sang physiology from head to toe. I'm talking not only about looks and brains, but also about the whole body. Besides, I also sing about the equality between women and men.
I sing about modern people, who have great lives in emotion, intention and ability. He is happy and can take the most free action according to the sacred law.
("I sing one's own")
Although some signs of Whitman's thought can be found in the early English poet Blake, there is no doubt that Whitman magnified, highlighted and emphasized this thought.
He realized earlier than modern philosophy and psychology that sexual health awareness is a necessary condition for mental health and human creativity. Such an advanced consciousness obviously made him unable to see the cultural concepts of the 65,438+09 century, especially the Puritan atmosphere in the United States, because in the minds of most people at that time, not only the body was inferior to the spirit, but also sex was an external manifestation of human inner evil. Whitman almost convinced the dualism of soul and flesh by himself. His ideal modern man is the unity of spirit and flesh, and a comprehensive whole with equal emphasis on physiology and psychology.
A large number of offensive poems in Leaves of Grass were accused as obscene poems at that time. Even Emerson, who admired Whitman's talent very much, deliberately persuaded the author to adopt avoidance strategy from the consideration of publishing the whole book, but Whitman refused and did not regret it until his later years. Whitman is so stubborn, not because he is obsessed with the joy of life, but mainly because he realizes that in a new country, the new life must challenge and finally eliminate the false asceticism and all the remnants of feudal taboos that prevailed in the old continent. This is an inevitable requirement to create a new society for free people, and it is also the embodiment of his will to be loyal to democratic ideals.
In addition, Whitman also has his own metaphysics about the body. He is eager to be integrated with space and time. For him, the movement of stars keeps pace with the growth of grass, and death is the climax of beauty and a means of combining with history. These mysterious thoughts can be seen everywhere in his poems, giving people a sense of self-repetition from time to time. Today, they seem to have lost their illusions. Readers may not necessarily agree with them, but they may as well make a sympathetic understanding. I think a poet who is always right is somewhat boring.
Whitman's contribution to modern poetry is, of course, not only an innovation in thought, but also an original creation in form, with great and far-reaching influence. This is a free poem he used to express rich content. It seems completely independent of all rhetoric and poetic rhythms, and has a Ren Woxing posture, but in fact it is very particular. His original free verse does not talk about the external rhythm of traditional poetry, but focuses on qi and pays great attention to the internal rhythm of lines. Opening wide and closing wide, cadence and cadence are the verve he pursues, especially in those long poems, where operatic recitation and aria are used alternately, and its wonderful artistic effect is still admirable today.
Whitman's freedom is not irregular in the art of poetry, but rich and appropriate. Many times, Whitman is an outspoken poet, but he actually cares about the communication between the lines, especially in some of his short poems. Prose culture can be said to be a taboo of poetry, but those descriptions and narratives that may become prose culture will show extremely bold momentum and colorful patterns once Whitman takes the shot. Whitman is not so much a master of breaking down the barriers of prose and poetry as a legislator who re-establishes the standards of poetry. Interestingly, Whitman was not only misunderstood for his shocking content, but also ridiculed as a formalist.
Whitman's creativity is not passive water, nor is it a tree without roots. For example, his blank parallel sentence pattern benefited from James' translation of Bible syntax.
The poet once admitted this, which is not only credible, but also completely verifiable. In addition, painting and Italian opera, which he loved all his life, are helping him to form his own poetic style. On top of all this, learning from life and nature itself can be said to be the basis of his creation. Some researchers believe that the sea may be Whitman's greatest and deepest source of inspiration. The current may inspire him more than anything else.
No wonder he has pursued the style of rushing forward in a leisurely way all his life.
There are many people who imitate Whitman in later generations, but they often ignore the truth that free verse actually opens the way in limitations. They often only learn Whitman's fur, such as his signature enumeration method, and sometimes only learn shortcomings, because they don't have his extravagant enthusiasm and grand atmosphere, but only learn his carelessness and even boredom.
Although Whitman was recognized and had a certain influence during his lifetime, it was totally out of proportion to his pioneering achievements. It was not until the 20th century that his influence spread all over the world, reaching its peak in the1930s ... His inspiration to modern American poetry was unique and unparalleled. After the rise of modernism, Pound's attitude towards Whitman was the most typical. After overcoming personal prejudice, he finally admitted Whitman's great achievement: Whitman was an American poet. He is America. The rise of imagism, on the one hand, inherits Whitman's use of daily language, the creation of new rhythm and the free choice of theme, on the other hand, puts forward the principle of image expression and high concentration, which undoubtedly belongs to creative development. Imagism also saw Whitman's shortcomings in these two aspects.
/kloc-in the 1960s, Ginsburg, the core figure of the Beat School, regarded Whitman as the father of spirit, and he seemed to have obtained a personal biography of Whitman in both poetic form and poetic spirit.
In 2005, in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Leaves of Grass/KLOC-0, the famous critic harold bloom called Whitman the father of American imagination in his introduction to the classic version of Leaves of Grass. He listed the most famous works in the history of American literature, including Emerson's The Law of Life, Melville's Moby Dick and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Bloom thinks none of them are like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
In our country, Whitman's influence on Guo Moruo, the founder of new poetry, and his stimulation and inspiration to Goddess are well-known common sense in the history of literature. As for the translation of Leaves of Grass, since 1960s, different versions have been published one after another, and the academic research on Whitman has been deepened. But who can say that our knowledge and understanding of this great poet is enough?
Borges once wrote Whitman's situation in his later years in a sonnet, as if summing up the life of a great poet. Undoubtedly, it is a work by the master to pay tribute to the master, and it is recorded here to show respect: the taste of coffee drinking newspapers.
Sunday is extremely dull. It's morning.
Some allegorical poems are suddenly turned over.
Paper industry: written by a happy colleague.
A floating five-step line. The old man was lying in his decent poor room, sprawled and pale. He glanced lazily at the tired mirror. His eyes saw a face. He thought indifferently, this face is me. He reached for his messy beard and useless mouth.
The end is in sight. He announced: I am going to die, and my poem is about life and its glory. I'm walt whitman.
Whitman's classic quotations
1. I don't want to condescend to give me good pleasure, I want to spend it freely forever. Song of self
The port is not far away, and I have heard the bell. Thousands of people cheered, shouted and calmly welcomed us back. Our captain is strong and brave. Oh, captain, my captain
3. Past, future, dignity and love, if they are nothing to you, then you are nothing to them. grass-blade
Oh, my soul, we find ourselves in a calm and cold morning. grass-blade
Tears falling alone in the dark night, dripping on the pale coast, dripping, let the sand suck it dry. Tears and starlight disappeared, and everything was desolate and dark. tears
6. If you are sure, you will be very sure. It's absolutely straight when it's vertical, and it's fastened tightly. The beams should be lifted together. As strong, enthusiastic and arrogant as a horse, with electricity, I stand here and "sing me" with this mysterious fact.
7. Where there is soil and water, there is grass. grass-blade
8. Do you think there can only be one God? We believe that there can be countless gods, and one will not offset the other. For example, the same sight will not offset the other. Only when people realize their supremacy can they be supreme and noble. grass-blade
9. The clock indicates an instant, but what can indicate eternity? grass-blade
10. The only thing I can be sure of is that the ultimate internal sublimation of human or poetry is its idea of death. grass-blade
1 1. No matter where you live, you will keep a balance in the face of any accident, and you will be as tough as trees and animals in the face of night, storm, hunger, ridicule, accidents and setbacks. grass-blade
12. I want to make the most exquisite branches and leaves into coffins; Bury your freshness and refinement. grass-blade
13. My own pride hurts me and others.
14. People who are shivering with cold can feel the warmth of the sun best. Those who have experienced the troubles of life know the value of life best.
15. What a precious, comforting and healing time after three years of paralyzed confinement, long-term war tension, trauma and death. Typical day
Quoted from Whitman's Leaves of Grass
Find the best you know, or as good as the best,
Find your favorite, strongest, favorite ... Happiness and knowledge come from the people closest to you, not elsewhere, but here. -walt whitman's Leaves of Grass.
I sat there and looked at all the troubles, all the oppression and humiliation in the world. ....
Look, listen and keep silent. No one who died for freedom will not grow the seeds of freedom from his grave, but the seeds will surely bear seeds. Spring breeze will take them far away to sow seeds, and rain and snow will nourish them.
No soul released from the shell will be scared away by the tyrant's weapon.
It will advance invisibly in every part of the earth, whispering, discussing and admonishing. Freedom, let others let you down-I will never be disappointed in you. I'm old in the world, young in the world, stupid, ignoring and caring about others.
Whether it's a father or a mother,
Like children and adults, it is both vulgar and exquisite. What is the smallest and biggest difference between multi-ethnic countries? I disappeared like air, unloaded the white oil from the weak sunshine and stretched myself in the sea breeze.
Let it drift in the sawtooth.
I turn myself into dust to nourish the grass I love. If you still want me, please find me under your heel. You hardly know who I am and what I mean, but I will still take care of your health and filter your blood.
Can't find me,
Keep trying. If you can't find it here, you can look elsewhere. I'll wait for you somewhere. -Whitman "Leaves of Grass" My voice tracks what I can't see.
My tongue has bypassed countless worlds.
Classic quotations from Walter Ken
1. However, he suggested that customers eat and instructed the waiter to add dishes to people's plates without the customer's request, which was unwise and contemptuous of customers. In the clouds.
2. It feels good to have accurate positioning and keep pace with the mainstream. Even if the wind blows tomorrow, let him go. In the clouds.
Planes are like vans, and goods also include people. We have nothing special, we only take weight; According to the weight of freight, the carrier is not as profitable as express delivery or mail. In the clouds.
According to my experience, it is risky to run a family business. In the end, it is inevitable that both the family and the business will lose. In the clouds.
5. What's wrong with following the crowd? I'm not pursuing everyone's approval, I just want to gain strength from people's passion. In the clouds.
6. The higher the airline ticket level, the louder the curse. In contrast, economy class is a pure land. In the clouds.
7. Life is a journey to an unknown destination. Many times, we don't know what kind of future we will encounter next. It's just that sometimes, we just rush blindly and forget the meaning of travel.
8. Life is better with company. In the clouds.
9. My goal is to say at least three new words every day. It was difficult at first, it sounded like a word used in brackets or quotation marks, but then it was skillfully used. The only problem is that the world has been visualized, so I have to clarify my statement repeatedly. The subtext of "witty remarks" is that clever words can gain an advantage in business competition. In the clouds.
10. During the day, the stars slowly climb out of the hidden corner, and there will be a brighter one in those shimmering lights on the horizon, which is the trace of my wings passing by, blessing others and passing quietly ... Everyone needs a co-pilot. In the clouds.
1 1. Apologizing for your unquestionable personal ultimate characteristics is equivalent to apologizing for your existence in the world. In the clouds.