Analysis of A Woman Waits For Me
A WOMAN waits for me--she contains all, nothing is lacking,
Yet all were lacking, if sex were lacking, or if the moisture of the
right man were lacking.
Sex contains all,
Bodies, Souls, meanings, proofs, purities, delicacies, results,
promulgations,
Songs, commands, health, pride, the maternal mystery, the seminal
milk;
All hopes, benefactions, bestowals,
All the passions, loves, beauties, delights of the earth,
All the governments, judges, gods, follow'd persons of the earth,
These are contain'd in sex, as parts of itself, and justifications of
itself.
Without shame the man I like knows and avows the deliciousness of his
sex, 10
Without shame the woman I like knows and avows hers.
Now I will dismiss myself from impassive women,
I will go stay with her who waits for me, and with those women that
are warm-blooded and sufficient for me;
I see that they understand me, and do not deny me;
I see that they are worthy of me--I will be the robust husband of
those women.
They are not one jot less than I am,
They are tann'd in the face by shining suns and blowing winds,
Their flesh has the old divine suppleness and strength,
They know how to swim, row, ride, wrestle, shoot, run, strike,
retreat, advance, resist, defend themselves,
They are ultimate in their own right--they are calm, clear, well-
possess'd of themselves. 20
I draw you close to me, you women!
I cannot let you go, I would do you good,
I am for you, and you are for me, not only for our own sake, but for
others' sakes;
Envelop'd in you sleep greater heroes and bards,
They refuse to awake at the touch of any man but me.
It is I, you women--I make my way,
I am stern, acrid, large, undissuadable--but I love you,
I do not hurt you any more than is necessary for you,
I pour the stuff to start sons and daughters fit for These States--I
press with slow rude muscle,
I brace myself effectually--I listen to no entreaties, 30
I dare not withdraw till I deposit what has so long accumulated
within me.
Through you I drain the pent-up rivers of myself,
In you I wrap a thousand onward years,
On you I graft the grafts of the best-beloved of me and America,
The drops I distil upon you shall grow fierce and athletic girls, new
artists, musicians, and singers,
The babes I beget upon you are to beget babes in their turn,
I shall demand perfect men and women out of my love-spendings,
I shall expect them to interpenetrate with others, as I and you
interpenetrate now,
I shall count on the fruits of the gushing showers of them, as I
count on the fruits of the gushing showers I give now,
I shall look for loving crops from the birth, life, death,
immortality, I plant so lovingly now. 40
Scheme | ABA XCCDXCEEFG XXH IXJJFI XXXXKXK IXXXCJ XLLMDXXJ GXBLHXCLNMNXN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010111101110110 11010110101101010 11010 1011 1011011100001 1 1011100101000100 1 1111 101011001101 101001011010101 11010111101000101 01 01101111010111 1 011010111010 111011101010 1111101111011101 1110001011 1111011011011 111111011111001101 110 111111111 11100111010101 1110101101 111111110111 0101010101 11100011111111 01101 111111110 11011111111 1111011111101101111 101 010011101001 101101101110111 1111101111 11110111111 111111011110011 110111101011111 111110 111111011010 111011101011110100 011 11110111011 0111010101 111101101011100100 01101011111001011 10010010 0110101111011011 110101101011111 11011111101101 11 1111011010101111 1101101010111 111110110111 01001111001 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 3,003 |
Words | 484 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 10, 3, 6, 7, 6, 8, 13 |
Lines Amount | 56 |
Letters per line (avg) | 37 |
Words per line (avg) | 11 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 257 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 76 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 11, 2023
- 2:26 min read
- 270 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Woman Waits For Me" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/37946/a-woman-waits-for-me>.
Discuss this Walt Whitman poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In