by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Quicksand years
Language: English
Quicksand years that whirl me I know not whither, Your schemes, politics, fail -- lines give way -- substances mock and elude me; Only the theme I sing, the great and strong-possess'd Soul, eludes not; One's-self must never give way -- that is the final substance -- that out of all is sure; Out of politics, triumphs, battles, life -- what at last finally remains? When shows break up, what but One's-Self is sure?
Confirmed with Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass. Philadelphia: David McKay, [c1900]; Bartleby.com, 1999. http://www.bartleby.com/142/204.html
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "Quicksand years", appears in Leaves of Grass [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Samuel Hans Adler (b. 1928), "Quicksand years ", published 1977 [ medium voice and string quartet ], from Sixth String Quartet (A Whitman Serenade), no. 2, New York, Carl Fischer [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2014-02-07
Line count: 7
Word count: 69