I Sing the Body Electric

I SING THE BODY ELECTRICWalt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, 18551I SING the Body electric; The armies of those I love engirth me, and I engirth them;They will not let me off till I go with them, resond to them,!nd discorr"t them, and charge them f"ll with the charge of the So"l#

Was it do"$ted that those who corr"t their own $odies conceal themselves; 5!nd if those who defile the living are as $ad as they who defile the dead%!nd if the $ody does not do as m"ch as the So"l%!nd if the $ody were not the So"l, what is the So"l%

&The love of the Body of man or woman $al's acco"nt(the $ody itself $al's acco"nt; That of the male is erfect, and that of the female is erfect# 10

The e)ression of the face $al's acco"nt;B"t the e)ression of a well*made man aears not only in his face;It is in his lim$s and +oints also, it is c"rio"sly in the +oints of his his and wrists;It is in his wal', the carriage of his nec', the fle) of his waist and 'nees(dress does not hide him; The strong, sweet, s"le ,"ality he has, stri'es thro"gh the cotton and flannel; 15To see him ass conveys as m"ch as the $est oem, erhas more;-o" linger to see his $ac', and the $ac' of his nec' and sho"lder*side#

The srawl and f"lness of $a$es, the $osoms and heads of women, the folds of their dress,their style as we ass in the street, the conto"r of their shae downwards, The swimmer na'ed in the swimming*$ath, seen as he swims thro"gh the transarent green*shine, or lies with his face ", and rolls silently to and fro in the heave of the water, The $ending forward and $ac'ward of rowers in row*$oats(the horseman in his saddle, 20Girls, mothers, ho"se*'eeers, in all their erformances,The gro" of la$orers seated at noon*time with their oen dinner*'ettles, and their wives waiting, The female soothing a child(the farmer.s da"ghter in the garden or cow*yard,The yo"ng fellow hoeing corn(the sleigh*driver g"iding his si) horses thro"gh the crowd, The wrestle of wrestlers, two arentice*$oys, ,"ite grown, l"sty, good*nat"red, native*$orn, o"t on the vacant lot at s"ndown, after wor',25The coats and cas thrown down, the em$race of love and resistance,The "er*hold and the "nder*hold, the hair r"mled over and $linding the eyes;The march of firemen in their own cost"mes, the lay of masc"line m"scle thro"gh clean*setting trowsers and waist*stras, The slow ret"rn from the fire, the a"se when the $ell stri'es s"ddenly again, and the listening on the alert, The nat"ral, erfect, varied attit"des(the $ent head, the c"rv.d nec', and the co"nting; 30S"ch*li'e I love(I loosen myself, ass freely, am at the mother.s $reast with the little child, Swim with the swimmers, wrestle with wrestlers, march in line with the firemen, and a"se, listen, and co"nt#

/I 'now a man, a common farmer(the father of five sons; !nd in them were the fathers of sons(and in them were the fathers of sons#

This man was of wonderf"l vigor, calmness, $ea"ty of erson; 35The shae of his head, the ale yellow and white of his hair and $eard, and the immeas"ra$le meaning of his $lac' eyes(the richness and $readth of his manners, These I "sed to go and visit him to see(he was wise also;0e was si) feet tall, he was over eighty years old(his sons were massive, clean, $earded, tan*faced, handsome; They and his da"ghters loved him(all who saw him loved him;They did not love him $y allowance(they loved him with ersonal love; 400e dran' water only(the $lood show.d li'e scarlet thro"gh the clear*$rown s'in of his face; 0e was a fre,"ent g"nner and fisher(he sail.d his $oat himself(he had a fine one resented to him $y a shi*+oiner(he had fowling*ieces, resented to him $y men that loved him; When he went with his five sons and many grand*sons to h"nt or fish, yo" wo"ld ic' him o"t as the most $ea"tif"l and vigoro"s of the gang#

-o" wo"ld wish long and long to $e with him(yo" wo"ld wish to sit $y him in the $oat, that yo" and he might to"ch each other#

1I have erceiv.d that to $e with those I li'e is eno"gh,45To sto in comany with the rest at evening is eno"gh,To $e s"rro"nded $y $ea"tif"l, c"rio"s, $reathing, la"ghing flesh is eno"gh,To ass among them, or to"ch any one, or rest my arm ever so lightly ro"nd his or her nec' for a moment(what is this, then% I do not as' any more delight(I swim in it, as in a sea#

There is something in staying close to men and women, and loo'ing on them, and in the contact and odor of them, that leases the so"l well;50!ll things lease the so"l($"t these lease the so"l well#

5This is the female form; ! divine nim$"s e)hales from it from head to foot;It attracts with fierce "ndenia$le attraction2I am drawn $y its $reath as if I were no more than a helless vaor(all falls aside $"t myself and it;55Boo's, art, religion, time, the visi$le and solid earth, the atmoshere and the clo"ds, and what was e)ected of heaven or fear.d of hell, are now cons"med; 3ad filaments, "ngoverna$le shoots lay o"t of it(the resonse li'ewise "ngoverna$le;0air, $osom, his, $end of legs, negligent falling hands, all diff"sed(mine too diff"sed;4$$ st"ng $y the flow, and flow st"ng $y the e$$(love*flesh swelling and delicio"sly aching; 5imitless limid +ets of love hot and enormo"s, ,"ivering +elly of love, white*$low and delirio"s +"ice;60Bridegroom night of love, wor'ing s"rely and softly into the rostrate dawn;6nd"lating into the willing and yielding day,5ost in the cleave of the clasing and sweet*flesh.d day#

This is the n"cle"s(after the child is $orn of woman, the man is $orn of woman;This is the $ath of $irth(this is the merge of small and large, and the o"tlet again# 65

Be not ashamed, women(yo"r rivilege encloses the rest, and is the e)it of the rest;-o" are the gates of the $ody, and yo" are the gates of the so"l#

The female contains all ,"alities, and temers them(she is in her lace, and moves with erfect $alance; She is all things d"ly veil.d(she is $oth assive and active;She is to conceive da"ghters as well as sons, and sons as well as da"ghters# 70

!s I see my so"l reflected in nat"re;!s I see thro"gh a mist, one with ine)ressi$le comleteness and $ea"ty,See the $ent head, and arms folded over the $reast(the female I see#

7The male is not less the so"l, nor more(he too is in his lace; 0e too is all ,"alities(he is action and ower; 75The fl"sh of the 'nown "niverse is in him;Scorn $ecomes him well, and aetite and defiance $ecome him well;The wildest largest assions, $liss that is "tmost, sorrow that is "tmost, $ecome him well(ride is for him; The f"ll*sread ride of man is calming and e)cellent to the so"l;8nowledge $ecomes him(he li'es it always(he $rings everything to the test of himself; 80Whatever the s"rvey, whatever the sea and the sail, he stri'es so"ndings at last only here;9Where else does he stri'e so"ndings, e)cet here%:

The man.s $ody is sacred, and the woman.s $ody is sacred;No matter who it is, it is sacred;Is it a slave% Is it one of the d"ll*faced immigrants +"st landed on the wharf% 854ach $elongs here or anywhere, +"st as m"ch as the well*off(+"st as m"ch as yo";4ach has his or her lace in the rocession#

9!ll is a rocession;The "niverse is a rocession, with meas"red and $ea"tif"l motion#:

;o yo" 'now so m"ch yo"rself, that yo" call the slave or the d"ll*face ignorant% 90;o yo" s"ose yo" have a right to a good sight, and he or she has no right to a sight%;o yo" thin' matter has cohered together from its diff"se float(and the soil is on the s"rface, and water r"ns, and vegetation sro"ts,