On Journeys Through the States
On journeys through the States we start,(Ay through the world, urged by these songs,Sailing henceforth to every land, to every sea,)We willing learners of all, teachers of all, and lovers of all.
We have watch’d the seasons dispensing themselves and passing on,And have said, Why should not a man or woman do as much as theseasons, and effuse as much?
We dwell a while in every city and town,We pass through Kanada, the North-east, the vast valley of theMississippi, and the Southern States,We confer on equal terms with each of the States,We make trial of ourselves and invite men and women to hear,We say to ourselves, Remember, fear not, be candid, promulge thebody and the soul,Dwell a while and pass on, be copious, temperate, chaste, magnetic,And what you effuse may then return as the seasons return,And may be just as much as the seasons.
Words in this poem
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- effuse a.
- Poured out freely; profuse. [L. effusus, p. p. of effundere to pour out; ex + fundere to pour. See Fuse to melt.]
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- promulge v. t.
- To promulgate; to publish or teach. Blackstone. [Cf. F. promulguer. See Promulgate.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
On Journeys Through the States 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, On Journeys Through the States, in Leaves of Grass (1855–1892), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #1322, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/whitman-leaves/on-journeys-through-the-states.html, id L03835.
Form and metre
On Journeys Through the States is 17 lines in 3 stanzas. 85% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 12.5 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 18% 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.
- 3 -ABB-A---- town · theA · statesB · statesB · hear · theA · soul · magnetic · return · seasons
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 |
|---|---|---|
| On journeys through the States we start, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| (Ay through the world, urged by these songs, | 8 | ········ |
| Sailing henceforth to every land, to every sea,) | 14 | /˘//·/˘˘··/˘˘· |
| We willing learners of all, teachers of all, and lovers of all. | 16 | ·/˘/˘··/˘···/˘·· |
| We have watch’d the seasons dispensing themselves and passing on, | 15 | ····/˘˘/˘˘/·/˘· |
| And have said, Why should not a man or woman do as much as the | 16 | ·········/˘····· |
| seasons, and effuse as much? | 7 | /˘·˘/·· |
| We dwell a while in every city and town, | 12 | ·····/˘˘/˘·· |
| We pass through Kanada, the North-east, the vast valley of the | 15 | ···········/˘·· |
| Mississippi, and the Southern States, | 9 | ·˘/˘··/˘· |
| We confer on equal terms with each of the States, | 12 | ·˘/·/˘······ |
| We make trial of ourselves and invite men and women to hear, | 17 | ··/˘·˘˘/·˘/··/˘·· |
| We say to ourselves, Remember, fear not, be candid, promulge the | 17 | ···˘˘/˘/˘···/˘˘/· |
| body and the soul, | 5 | /˘··· |
| Dwell a while and pass on, be copious, temperate, chaste, magnetic, | 16 | ·······/˘˘/˘·˘/˘ |
| And what you effuse may then return as the seasons return, | 15 | ···˘/··˘/··/˘˘/ |
| And may be just as much as the seasons. | 10 | ········/˘ |
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.