One’s-self I Sing
One’s-self I Sing - fact Summary
From Leaves of Grass
Whitman’s short lyric celebrates the individual self while placing it within a democratic, collective ideal. He affirms the body and whole human form—not just the mind—as fitting subjects for poetry, and explicitly names female equality alongside the male. The tone is celebratory and expansive, endorsing free action, vitality, and a modern, inclusive conception of humanity. It encapsulates themes central to Leaves of Grass: democracy, corporeal life, and individual dignity.
Read Complete AnalysesONE’S-SELF I sing—a simple, separate Person; Yet utter the word Democratic, the word En-masse. Of Physiology from top to toe I sing; Not physiognomy alone, nor brain alone, is worthy for the muse—I say the Form complete is worthier far; The Female equally with the male I sing. Of Life immense in passion, pulse, and power, Cheerful—for freest action form’d, under the laws divine, The Modern Man I sing.
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