" Leaves of Grass -- A Bilingual Classic of the Prophet 01

Author: Walt Whitman
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Whitman, one of the greatest Romantic poets in American history, is represented by his masterpiece collection Leaves of Grass. The collection is profound and grand in scope. He pioneered a new poetic style, exerting a significant influence on American and even world poetry. The translations by the renowned scholars Chu Tunan and Li Yiguang are a perfect complement, making this classic translation worth collecting. Leaves of Grass includes four hundred and one poems by the poet, recording his life's thoughts and explorations, and reflecting the face of his era and nation. Thus, it is not only his personal epic but also the epic of 19th-century America. This book evolved from the initial twelve poems published in 1855 to four hundred and one by 1892, representing the most complete version.
Leaves of Grass is a Romantic poetry collection by the 19th-century American writer Walt Whitman, containing over three hundred poems. The title is derived from a line in the collection: "Wherever there's soil, wherever there's water, there grass grows." Grass is the most ordinary yet vibrant thing, symbolizing the burgeoning America of the time. The collection passionately celebrates the rising capitalist period of the United States through the lens of the "self" and the "self-image."
Whitman grew up loving democracy and freedom. He attended school for only five or six years and left home in his teens to seek work. He worked as a typesetter, carpenter, bricklayer, rural teacher, and editor. Despite his limited formal education, Whitman was diligent and read extensively from world literature in his spare time. He began writing poetry in the 1840s and published the first edition of Leaves of Grass in 1855. In a letter to a friend, he wrote, "Remember, this book grew out of my life in Brooklyn from 1838 to 1853, absorbing millions of individuals and fifteen years of life; the intimacy, the passion, the intoxication—it's unparalleled."
Leaves of Grass is a compilation of Whitman's life's work and a shining milestone in the history of American poetry. It contains rich and profound intellectual content, fully reflecting the spirit of mid-19th-century America. The poet, from the standpoint of radical bourgeois democracy, celebrates America as "the land of democracy": there are no slaves or slave owners; the people rise immediately against the endless recklessness of those elected; men and women bravely answer the call to die, like the surging waves of the sea; external authority always follows internal authority; citizens are always the mind and ideals, while presidents, mayors, and governors are merely paid employees; children are taught to govern themselves and rely on themselves; disputes are resolved peacefully; the exploration of the soul is encouraged; women march in the streets openly, just like men, and they take their places at public gatherings just like men.
Leaves of Grass celebrates nature and the self with pantheistic fervor. Pantheism is the worship of nature, deeming all things in nature divine. The poems extol the grandeur, wonder, and magnificence of nature: climbing mountains, I carefully ascend, holding onto slender branches to reach the branches; walking along paths covered in grass, where leaves gently brush by; where quail chirp between wheat fields and forests; where bats fly in the twilight of July; where giant golden beetles descend in the dark; where streams burst from old tree roots and flow into the meadows.
Leaves of Grass is the grass that grows across the land of America, forever vibrant and emitting an alluring fragrance. It is a world-renowned masterpiece that ushered in a new era for American national poetry. The author boldly innovated in poetic form, creating the "free verse" style, breaking away from traditional poetic meter. He used line breaks as the foundation of rhythm, resulting in a free, unrestrained, and effortless flow, with the momentum of a rushing river and the capacity to encompass all.