"Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman

In "Song of Myself", what topic was the speaker confronted with by a child?

A child said "What is the grass?" fetching it to me with full hands

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the phrase remembrancer designedly dropt?

A purposely dropped token of affection

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the word hieroglyphic?

A system of symbols that represent meanings or speech sounds

In "Song of Myself", how does the speaker treat his soul?

I loaf and invite my soul

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker permit?

I permit to speak at every hazard

In "Song of Myself", how does the speaker describe himself?

I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world

In "Song of Myself", who does the speaker wish he could translate the hints from?

I wish I could translate the hints about the dead young men and women, And the hints about old men and mothers, and the offspring taken soon out of their laps.

In "Song of Myself", how old is the speaker?

I, now thirty seven years old in perfect health

In "Song of Myself", how does the speaker describe the color of the grass?

This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old mothers, Darker than the colorless beards of old men, Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths

Who as is "Song of Myself" for?

This song of himself is also a song of everyone.

What metaphors does the speaker use to describe what grass means to him?

"The flag of my disposition" "The handkerchief of the lord" "A child, the unpronounced babe of the vegetation" "Uniform hieroglyphic" "Uncut hair of graves"

In "Song of Myself", what is the speaker's fifth answer as to what the grass is, to which he currently believes?

And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker address the reader to do?

And what I assume you shall assume

In "Song of Myself", from whom was the speaker born?

Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same

In "Song of Myself", what retires back a while sufficed at what they are?

Creeds and schools in abeyance, Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never forgotten

According to "Song of Myself", what is death?

Death is not an end but a change to something else.

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the word transpire?

Emerge; ooze out

According to "Song of Myself", how is everyone connected?

Everyone is closely connected on a cosmic level.

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker encourage the reader to do if they fail to fetch him at first?

Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged, Missing me one place search another, I stop somewhere waiting for you.

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker says also belongs to the reader?

For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the word bequeath?

Hand over, as if in a will

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker begin to hope now thirty seven years old in perfect health?

Hoping to cease not till death

In "Song of Myself", how did the speaker respond to the child's question of "What is the grass"?

How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker bequeath itself to?

I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love, If you want me again to look for me under your boot-soles.

In "Song of Myself", who does the speaker celebrate and sing?

I celebrate myself, and sing myself

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker depart as?

I depart as air, I shake my white locks at the runaway sun, I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it in lacy jags.

In "Song of Myself", what is the speaker's first answer as to what the grass is?

I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker harbor for?

I harbor for good or bad

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker lean and loaf at?

I lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker assume the grass might be?

It may be you transpire from the breasts of young men, It may be if I had known them I would have loved them, It may be you are from old people, or from offspring taken soon out of their mothers' laps, And here you are the mothers' laps

According to "Song of Myself", how do life and death relate?

Life and death are complementary forces. From death comes new life. Grass from graves.

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the word yawp?

Loud, rough speech

In "Song of Myself", where does the speaker identify as the origin of his blood?

My tongue, every atom of my blood, form'd from this soil, this air

In "Song of Myself", how does the speaker describe nature?

Nature without check with original energy

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker perceive?

O I perceive after all so many uttering tongues, And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths for nothing

In "Song of Myself", what is the speaker's fourth answer as to what the grass is?

Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic, And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones, Growing among black folks as among white, Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I receive them the same.

In "Song of Myself", what is the speaker's second answer as to what the grass is?

Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord, A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropt, Bearing the owner's name someway in the corners, that we may see and remark, and say "Whose?"

In "Song of Myself", what is the speaker's third answer as to what the grass is?

Or I guess the grass is itself a child, the produced babe of the vegetation

As used in "I Sit and Look Out", what is the best meaning of the phrase sufficed at?

Satisfied with

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the phrase effuse...eddies?

Scatter my flesh in swirling currents

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the list consisting of Kanuck, Tuckahoe,...Cuff?

Slang terms for various groups of people. A Kanuck (now spelled Canuck) is a Canadian, especially a French Canadian; A Tuckahoe is someone from the coast of Virginia; and a Cuff is an African American

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the phrase in abeyance?

Temporarily set aside

In "Song of Myself", how will the speaker now use grass?

Tenderly will I use you curling grass

Within "Song of Myself", what is barbaric?

The lack of regular rhythms and rhymes of formal poetry is natural, bold, and free, and perhaps seen as barbaric.

In "Song of Myself", what does the last scud of day do for the speaker?

The last scud of day holds back for me, It flings my likeness after the rest and true as any on the shadow'd wilds, It coaxes me to the vapor and the dusk

In "Song of Myself", who is the speaker a representative for?

The speaker is a representative of humanity

In "Song of Myself", what does the speaker mean by "I sound my barbaric yawp..."?

The speaker is uncivilized, unafraid to express himself. The speaker is natural and free.

In "Song of Myself", how does the spotted hawk act towards the speaker?

The spotted hawk swoops by and accuses me, he complains of my grab and my loitering

In "Song of Myself", how does the speaker answer the two rhetorical questions perviously asked?

They are alive and well somewhere, The smallest sprout shows there is really no death, And if ever there was it led forward life, and does not wait at the end to arrest it, And aces'd the moment life appear'd All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses, And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier

In "Song of Myself", what rhetorical questions are asked?

What do you think has become of the young and old men? And what do you think has become of the women and children?

As used in "Song of Myself", what is the best meaning of the word scud?

Wind-blown cloud

In "Song of Myself", how does the speaker describe his new role in life?

You will hardly know who I am or what I mean, But I shall be good health to you nevertheless, And filter and fibre your blood.