Walt Whitman - A Hand-Mirror

Hold it up sternly--see this it sends back, (who is it? is it you?)
Outside fair costume, within ashes and filth,
No more a flashing eye, no more a sonorous voice or springy step,
Now some slave's eye, voice, hands, step,
A drunkard's breath, unwholesome eater's face, venerealee's flesh,
Lungs rotting away piecemeal, stomach sour and cankerous,
Joints rheumatic, bowels clogged with abomination,
Blood circulating dark and poisonous streams,
Words babble, hearing and touch callous,
No brain, no heart left, no magnetism of sex;
Such from one look in this looking-glass ere you go hence,
Such a result so soon--and from such a beginning!

Submited by

Saturday, April 9, 2011 - 15:49

Poesia Consagrada :

No votes yet

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman's picture
Offline
Title: Membro
Last seen: 14 years 10 weeks ago
Joined: 04/08/2011
Posts:
Points: 849

Add comment

Login to post comments

other contents of Walt Whitman

Topic Title Replies Views Last Postsort icon Language
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Walt Whitman Biography 0 8.484 04/13/2011 - 18:13 English
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Walt Whitman Biografia 0 12.533 04/13/2011 - 18:10 Spanish
Poesia Consagrada/Biography Walt Whitman Biografia 0 11.060 04/13/2011 - 18:05 Portuguese
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Youth, Day, Old Age and Night 0 6.539 04/13/2011 - 18:03 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : You Felons on Trial in Courts 0 11.204 04/13/2011 - 18:01 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Yonnondio 0 7.580 04/13/2011 - 18:00 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Yet, Yet Ye Downcast Hours 0 6.695 04/13/2011 - 17:59 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Years of the Modern 0 7.032 04/13/2011 - 17:59 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Year of Meteors [1859-60] 0 7.404 04/13/2011 - 17:57 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : The Wound-Dresser 0 8.034 04/13/2011 - 17:56 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : The World Below the Brine 0 7.201 04/13/2011 - 17:55 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : A Woman Waits for Me 0 7.135 04/13/2011 - 17:53 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : With Husky-Haughty Lips, O Sea! 0 10.011 04/13/2011 - 17:52 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : With Antecedents 0 9.312 04/13/2011 - 17:51 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Who Learns My Lesson Complete? 0 8.434 04/13/2011 - 17:50 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Whoever You Are Holding Me Now in Hand 0 7.245 04/13/2011 - 17:48 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : Whispers of Heavenly Death 0 6.192 04/13/2011 - 17:47 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When the Full-Grown Poet Came 0 8.162 04/13/2011 - 17:46 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd 0 7.695 04/13/2011 - 17:45 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Read the Book 0 6.511 04/13/2011 - 17:43 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Peruse the Conquer'd Fame 0 9.290 04/13/2011 - 17:42 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer 0 14.842 04/13/2011 - 17:41 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : When I Heard at the Close of the Day 0 9.188 04/13/2011 - 17:40 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : What Think You I Take My Pen in Hand? 0 6.738 04/13/2011 - 17:38 English
Poesia Consagrada/General Walt Whitman Poems : What Ship Puzzled at Sea 0 12.914 04/13/2011 - 17:37 English