by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Long I thought
Language: English
Long I thought that knowledge alone would suffice me -- O if I could but obtain knowledge! The my lands engrossed me -- Lands of the prairies, Ohio's land, the southern savannas, engrossed me -- For them I would live -- I would be their orator; Then I met the examples of old and new heroes -- I heard of warriors, sailors, and all dauntless persons -- And it seemed to me that I too had it in me to be as dauntless as any -- and would be so; And then, to enclose all, it came to me to strike up the songs of the New World -- And then I believed my life must be spent in singing; But now take notice, land of the prairies, land of the south savannas, Ohio's land, Take notice, you Kanuck woods -- and you Lake Huron -- and all that with you roll toward Niagara -- and you Niagara also, And you, Californian mountains -- That you each and all find somebody else to be your singer of songs, For I can be your singer of songs no longer -- One who loves me is jealous of me, and withdraws me from all but love, With the rest I dispense -- I sever from what I thought would suffice me, for it does not -- it is now empty and tasteless to me, I heed knowledge, and the grandeur of The States, and the example of heroes, no more, I am indifferent to my own songs -- I will go with him I love, It is to be enough for us that we are together -- We will never separate again.
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 Clint Borzoni , "Long I thought" [voice and piano], from A Live-Oak Growing, no. 6. [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2013-03-06
Line count: 23
Word count: 263