“The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.”

“The question, O me! so sad, recurring -What good amid these, O me, O life?That you are here - that lifeexists and identity,that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

“O Me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish; Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d; Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me; Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined; The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life? Answer.That you are here—that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.”

“O YOU whom I often and silently come where you are, that I may be with you; As I walk by your side, or sit near, or remain in the same room with you, Little you know the subtle electric fire that for your sake is playing within me. ”

“And I or you pocketless of a dime, may purchase the pick of the earth.”

“Now I will do nothing but listento accrue what I hear into this song.To let sounds contribute toward it.I hear the sound I love.The sound of the human voice.I hear all sounds running together.”

“And now it [grass] seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves, Tenderly will I use you curling grass,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 from old people, or from offspring taken soon out of their mother's laps, And here you are the mothers' laps."- Song of Myself: 6”