Chanson De Moi-Meme.1.(Translation) . Poem by Michael Walker

This is the first stanza of Walt Whitman's long poem 'Song of Myself'. He would work on this poem and the collection 'Leaves of Grass' until his death. Whitman wanted to write a truly American poem, as distinct from British. He uses the vocabulary and idiom of his countrymen. He has immense pride in 'These States' and in being American. Whitman writes this poem in long lines of free verse throughout. Although he only started writing poetry at 37, Whitman had worked in journalism, printing, and teaching before he started 'Song of Myself'. He did not come from nowhere to be America's foremost poet.
He begins by saying that he celebrates himself and that every atom in himself belongs equally to 'you'. He loafs around and observes a shoot of summer grass. He was formed from this soil; his parents and ancestors were all born in America. He is starting his long poem aged thirty-seven, in perfect health and hoping not to cease until his death. He can take or leave schools and creeds, which he never forgot, however. He contains both good and bad, and he allows Nature to speak freely through him. I take that to be human nature and the natural world around him.
What I first liked about the poem was the proud celebration of himself.