Roots and Leaves Themselves Alone
Roots and Leaves Themselves Alone - meaning Summary
Nature Offers Reciprocal Nourishment
Whitman's short poem presents nature as an active, generous presence offering scents, buds, and growth to people. It lists gifts—roots, leaves, birdsong, breezes, berries—that arrive from wild places and are available to anyone who wanders out. The central idea is reciprocity: if humans bring warmth, nourishment, and attention, natural potentials will open into flowers, fruits, and trees. The poem reflects Whitman’s recurring belief in human-nature interconnectedness.
Read Complete AnalysesROOTS and leaves themselves alone are these; Scents brought to men and women from the wild woods, and from the pond-side, Breast-sorrel and pinks of love—fingers that wind around tighter than vines, Gushes from the throats of birds, hid in the foliage of trees, as the sun is risen; Breezes of land and love—breezes set from living shores out to you on the living sea—to you, O sailors! Frost-mellow’d berries, and Third-month twigs, offer’d fresh to young persons wandering out in the fields when the winter breaks up, Love-buds, put before you and within you, whoever you are, Buds to be unfolded on the old terms; If you bring the warmth of the sun to them, they will open, and bring form, color, perfume, to you; If you become the aliment and the wet, they will become flowers, fruits, tall blanches and trees.
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