Sit awhile wayfarer,
Here are biscuits to eat and here is milk to drink,
But as soon as you sleep and renew yourself in sweet clothes
I will certainly kiss you with my goodbye kiss and open
the gate for your egress hence.
Long enough have you dreamed contemptible dream,
Now I wash the gum from your eyes,
You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of
every moment of your life
(83)
To me, Whitman’s portrait is the visual counterpart to his poems. Therefore, he appears to me in a confident stance that invites conversation. He is intent on the reader and is paying close if somewhat insolent attention to the viewer. His casual clothes and the full body image set him apart from the other poets that he tries to set himself apart from in his poems as well.
I am not Walt Whitman, so I do not feel that it would be appropriate for me to try to convey the same message as his image does. Instead, I feel this corresponds nicely to the selection from his poem. He tells the reader that he wants to welcome him, teach him to see and experience life, then send him on his way to continue experiencing things. This is me, enjoying “the dazzle of” that moment of my life.
