Analysis of Voices

Walt Whitman 1819 (West Hills) – 1892 (Camden)




   NOW I make a leaf of Voices--for I have found nothing mightier than
         they are,
   And I have found that no word spoken, but is beautiful, in its place.

O what is it in me that makes me tremble so at voices?
   Surely, whoever speaks to me in the right voice, him or her I shall
         follow,
   As the water follows the moon, silently, with fluid steps, anywhere
         around the globe.

All waits for the right voices;
   Where is the practis'd and perfect organ? Where is the develop'd
         Soul?
   For I see every word utter'd thence, has deeper, sweeter, new sounds,
         impossible on less terms.

I see brains and lips closed--tympans and temples unstruck,
   Until that comes which has the quality to strike and to unclose,   10
   Until that comes which has the quality to bring forth what lies
         slumbering, forever ready, in all words.


Scheme XXA BXXXX BXXXX XAXX
Poetic Form
Metre 111011101111101001 11 01111111011100011 111101111101110 10010111001111011 10 10101001100110110 0101 1110110 110100110110010 1 11110011011101011 0100111 11101110101 011111010011011 011111010011111 10001010011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 877
Words 147
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 3, 5, 5, 4
Lines Amount 17
Letters per line (avg) 36
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 155
Words per stanza (avg) 37
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
115

Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. more…

All Walt Whitman poems | Walt Whitman Books

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