How Solemn as One by One
How Solemn as One by One - context Summary
Composed During the Civil War
Whitman addresses returning, battle-worn soldiers and peers in a quiet, direct voice. Observing faces and "masks," he imagines the enduring inner self behind wounds and exhaustion. The poem asserts that bullets and bayonets cannot destroy the soul or the true self. It frames this endurance as intimate reassurance to a friend and to each man in the ranks, reflecting Whitman’s encounters with soldiers during the American Civil War.
Read Complete AnalysesHOW solemn, as one by one, As the ranks returning, all worn and sweaty—as the men file by where I stand; As the faces, the masks appear—as I glance at the faces, studying the masks; (As I glance upward out of this page, studying you, dear friend, whoever you are;) How solemn the thought of my whispering soul, to each in the ranks, and to you; I see behind each mask, that wonder, a kindred soul; O the bullet could never kill what you really are, dear friend, Nor the bayonet stab what you really are: ... The soul! yourself I see, great as any, good as the best, Waiting, secure and content, which the bullet could never kill, Nor the bayonet stab, O friend!
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