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by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)

Beginning my studies
Language: English 
Beginning my studies the first step pleas'd me so much,
The mere fact consciousness, these forms, the power of motion,
The least insect or animal, the senses, eyesight, love,
The first step I say awed me and pleas'd me so much,
I have hardly gone and hardly wish'd to go any farther,
But stop and loiter all the time to sing it in ecstatic songs.

Text Authorship:

  • by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892) [author's text not yet checked 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 Ronald A. Beckett , "Beginning my studies", 2015, from Three inscriptions by Walt Whitman, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
  • by Lee Hoiby (1926 - 2011), "Beginning my studies", from I was there, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 6
Word count: 65

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