A Glimpse
A Glimpse - meaning Summary
Quiet Intimacy Amid Noise
The poem sketches a brief, intimate moment observed in a noisy bar-room. The speaker sits unnoticed while a beloved youth quietly joins and holds their hand. Despite the coarse surroundings—drinking, jokes, and bustle—the two are content together, needing few or no words. The scene emphasizes private affection and companionship flourishing amid ordinary urban life, reflecting Whitman’s recurring interest in democratic camaraderie and simple human connection.
Read Complete AnalysesA GLIMPSE, through an interstice caught, Of a crowd of workmen and drivers in a bar-room, around the stove, late of a winter night—And I unremark’d seated in a corner; Of a youth who loves me, and whom I love, silently approaching, and seating himself near, that he may hold me by the hand; A long while, amid the noises of coming and going—of drinking and oath and smutty jest, There we two, content, happy in being together, speaking little, perhaps not a word. 5
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