Excelsior
Who has gone farthest? for I would go farther,And who has been just? for I would be the most just person of the earth,And who most cautious? for I would be more cautious,And who has been happiest? O I think it is I--I think no one wasever happier than I,And who has lavish’d all? for I lavish constantly the best I have,And who proudest? for I think I have reason to be the proudest sonalive--for I am the son of the brawny and tall-topt city,And who has been bold and true? for I would be the boldest andtruest being of the universe,And who benevolent? for I would show more benevolence than all the rest,And who has receiv’d the love of the most friends? for I know whatit is to receive the passionate love of many friends,And who possesses a perfect and enamour’d body? for I do not believeany one possesses a more perfect or enamour’d body than mine,And who thinks the amplest thoughts? for I would surround those thoughts,And who has made hymns fit for the earth? for I am mad withdevouring ecstasy to make joyous hymns for the whole earth.
Words in this poem
- brawny a.
- Having large, strong muscles; muscular; fleshy; strong.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Excelsior is in the public domain. This text is taken from Leaves of Grass, Project Gutenberg ebook #1322; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Walt Whitman, Excelsior, in Leaves of Grass (1855–1892), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1322, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/whitman-leaves/excelsior.html, id L04047.
Form and metre
Excelsior is 18 lines in a single verse paragraph. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. 78% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 15.0 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 33% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A---------------A farther · earthA · cautious · was · i · have · son · city · and · universe · rest · what · friends · believe · mine · thoughts · with · earthA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Who has gone farthest? for I would go farther, | 11 | ···/˘····/˘ |
| And who has been just? for I would be the most just person of the earth, | 17 | ············/˘··· |
| And who most cautious? for I would be more cautious, | 12 | ···/˘·····/˘ |
| And who has been happiest? O I think it is I--I think no one was | 18 | ····/˘˘··········· |
| ever happier than I, | 7 | /˘/˘˘·· |
| And who has lavish’d all? for I lavish constantly the best I have, | 17 | ···/˘···/˘/˘˘···· |
| And who proudest? for I think I have reason to be the proudest son | 17 | ··/˘·····/˘···/˘· |
| alive--for I am the son of the brawny and tall-topt city, | 16 | ˘/·······/˘···/˘ |
| And who has been bold and true? for I would be the boldest and | 15 | ············/˘· |
| truest being of the universe, | 9 | /˘/˘··/˘· |
| And who benevolent? for I would show more benevolence than all the rest, | 19 | ··˘/˘˘·····˘/˘˘···· |
| And who has receiv’d the love of the most friends? for I know what | 15 | ···˘/·········· |
| it is to receive the passionate love of many friends, | 14 | ···˘/·/˘˘··/˘· |
| And who possesses a perfect and enamour’d body? for I do not believe | 20 | ··˘/˘·˘/····/˘····˘/ |
| any one possesses a more perfect or enamour’d body than mine, | 18 | /˘·˘/˘··˘/····/˘·· |
| And who thinks the amplest thoughts? for I would surround those thoughts, | 15 | ····/˘˘····˘/·· |
| And who has made hymns fit for the earth? for I am mad with | 14 | ·············· |
| devouring ecstasy to make joyous hymns for the whole earth. | 16 | ˘/˘˘/˘˘··/˘····· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.