HUMANITY AND MYSTICISM

 WALT

THE POET OF DEMOCRACY,

WHITMAN: HUMANITY AND MYSTICISM

Yasin Leghari

Lecturer English

Walter or Walt Whitman (May 31, 1819

March 26, 1892) is the representative and

companion of all people who he considers immortal

and fathomless as himself. His poem Song of Myself is

replete with the feeling of sympathy and

comradeship. He opines that a person who does not

have a deep feeling of sympathy for his fellowmen, he

walks to his own funeral in his shroud. His collection

nationalist

poet of America. He

propagates the idea of democracy, nationalism,

humanity, transcendentalism and mysticism.

Whitman is different from English romantic poets

because of his pragmatic approach. Unlike English

romantic poets his ideal of democracy is not a

visionary dream but is a practical approach. He is a

spiritual democrat who saw in true democracy the

possibility of universal peace, toleration and

brotherhood. The subject matter of his poetry is

common man and his environment. He rebelled

against the conventional poetic subject such as kings

and nobles which brings him very close to great

romantic poet William Wordsworth. Like Wordsworth

he composed poetry in the language of a common

man. His subject matter is simple humble country

people and their rustic and rural life. He used free

verse, now known as blank verse in his poetry. He is

rightly called as the Wordsworth of America.

As a prophet of democracy, Whitman manifests in his

poetry the basic ideal of democracy_ the liberty of

individual, fraternity and equality. He propagates the

need for being free and self-reliant. If an individual is

free in true sense, he will be able to understand the

truth of universe. He through his poetry creates a

sense of harmony among the people. His concept of 'l'

connects him with the smallest as well as the greatest.

His sense of oneness reveals his democracy calling for

equality and fraternity. He is interested in all kinds of

people. No one is superior to another. He firmly

believes in equality of man and woman. Whitman

believes that democracy must yield spiritual results.

Passage to India demonstrates the possibility of

Spiritual democracy. His democratic creed is different

from Christian doctrine. Like Emerson he rejected

Christian democracy. He does not recognize the

distinction between good and bad, right and wrong,

superior and inferior, and low and high.

Whitman is also a humanist. Nothing is nobler than

humanity in his opinion. He is the mate and

of poems Leaves of Grass is indeed a bible of

democracy. He believes in the common man for

salvation of society. It is they who make the nation. He

rejected religion and suggested a new kind of religion

that is humanity.

note of mysticism and

transcendentalism in his poetry. He is not a pure

mystic according to oriental concept. He is not a

traditional mystic like all mystics. He believed in the

existence of divine spirit, immortality of human soul

and in the capacity of a human being to establish

communication between his spirit and divine spirit.

He is different from traditional and oriental mystics in

a sense that he does not believe that communication

There is also a

with the divine spirit is possible only through denial of

the senses and mortification of flesh. He sings of the

body as much as of the soul. He believes that spiritual

communication is possible, indeed desirable, without

sacrificing flesh. His acceptance of body makes him

different from other mystics. In his poem / Sing the

Body Electric he sings of the human body and senses.

Whitman does not reject the material world. He seeks

the spiritual through the material. He does not

subscribe to the belief that objects are illusive. There

is no tendency on the part of the soul to leave this

world for good. Mystical state is achieved through

transfigured senses rather than by escaping senses.

On the whole it is not an exaggeration to say that Walt

Whitman is true preacher of democracy and

humanity. He is a unique mystic and unique

proponent of democracy. He does not only

propagated the cause of democracy but takes

practical steps as well. He worked as a male nurse and

personally took part during civil war. He is indeed a

poetic spokesman of democracy.