We Two-How Long We Were Fool'd

Walt Whitman 1819 (West Hills) – 1892 (Camden)




   WE two--how long we were fool'd!
   Now transmuted, we swiftly escape, as Nature escapes;
   We are Nature--long have we been absent, but now we return;
   We become plants, leaves, foliage, roots, bark;
   We are bedded in the ground--we are rocks;
   We are oaks--we grow in the openings side by side;
   We browse--we are two among the wild herds, spontaneous as any;
   We are two fishes swimming in the sea together;
   We are what the locust blossoms are--we drop scent around the lanes,
         mornings and evenings;
   We are also the coarse smut of beasts, vegetables, minerals;       10
   We are two predatory hawks--we soar above, and look down;
   We are two resplendent suns--we it is who balance ourselves, orbic
         and stellar--we are as two comets;
   We prowl fang'd and four-footed in the woods--we spring on prey;
   We are two clouds, forenoons and afternoons, driving overhead;
   We are seas mingling--we are two of those cheerful waves, rolling
         over each other, and interwetting each other;
   We are what the atmosphere is, transparent, receptive, pervious,
         impervious:
   We are snow, rain, cold, darkness--we are each product and influence
         of the globe;
   We have circled and circled till we have arrived home again--we two
         have;
   We have voided all but freedom, and all but our own joy.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:04 min read
141

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCDEFGHIJKLDMNOPHBQRSTUV
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 1,348
Words 212
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 25

Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. more…

All Walt Whitman poems | Walt Whitman Books

35 fans

Discuss the poem We Two-How Long We Were Fool'd with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "We Two-How Long We Were Fool'd" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/38240/we-two-how-long-we-were-fool'd>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    5
    hours
    19
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which of these famous poems is written in villanelle form?
    A Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
    B The Owl And The Pussycat
    C Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
    D Funeral Blues