When I Read the Book by Walt Whitman

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend July 31, 2016   When I Read the Book   Walt Whitman

When I read the book, the biography famous, And is this then (said I) what the author calls a man’s life? And so will some one when I am dead and gone write my life? (As if any man really knew aught my life, Why even I myself I often think know little or nothing of my real life, Only a few hints, a few diffused faint clews and indirections I seek for my own use to trace out here.)            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   “When I Read the Book” was published in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass (James R. Osgood, 1881).   Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, and is widely considered one of America’s most important poets. He worked as a printer, teacher, and journalist in the New York City area. He is best known for his book Leaves of Grass, which he composed and updated throughout his entire adult life. He died on March 26, 1892. Poetry by Whitman   The Complete Poems (Penguin Classics, 2005)   "Underwoods: Epigram" by Robert Louis Stevenson "The World Is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth "Fame is a fickle food (1659)" by Emily Dickinson Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038