For the first poem we’re annotating will be Had I The Choice.
Had I the choice to tally greatest bards,
To limn their portraits, stately, beautiful, and emulate at will,
Homer with all his wars and warriors–Hector, Achilles, Ajax,
Or Shakespeare’s woe-entangled Hamlet, Lear, Othello–Tennyson’sfair ladies,
Meter or wit the best, or choice conceit to wield in perfect rhyme,delight of singers;
These, these, O sea, all these I’d gladly barter,
Would you the undulation of one wave, its trick to me transfer,
Or breathe one breath of yours upon my verse,
And leave its odor there (Whitman 618).
As we read along to his writing we were able o make or own modern day interpretations of the poem. Below is our version to the poem you have jsut read:
If I had the choice to mark all the greatest poets,
To be able to paint their portraits and give them a voice so easily.
Homer, who wrote about wars and warriors like Hector, Achilles, and Ajax.
Or Shakespeare’s doomed Hamlet, Lear, Othello or even Tennyson’s fair ladies.
Meter with the best rhyming and lines
For theses skills I would trade the world for
The swinging off the wavs touches me
Or you touch me
And leave your mark on me.
The next poem we will discuss is You tides with Ceaseless Swell
You tides with ceaseless swell! you power that does this work!
You unseen force, centripetal, centrifugal, through space’s spread,
Rapport of sun, moon, earth, and all the constellations,
What are the messages by you from distant stars to us? what Sirius’?
what Capella’s?
What central heart – and you the pulse – vivifies all? what boundless
aggregate of all?
What subtle indirection and significance in you? what clue to all in
you? what fluid, vast identity,
Holding the universe with all its parts as one – as sailing in a
ship?
you have such powerful tides
your all powerful force is unrivialed
the strength of the sun, moon earth and constellations
What are you trying to tell us from the stars? Where’s Sirius and Capella
what part of you brings us to life
How humble you are
yet you still keep everything together.
Next one we will do is Last of Ebb and Daylight Waning:
Last of ebb, and daylight waning,
Scented sea-cool landward making, smells of sedge and salt incoming,
With many a half-caught voice sent up from the eddies,
Many a muffled confession–many a sob and whisper’d word,(Whitman 618)
The last of the sun rise
I smell the sea and the salt as it drifts form the sea
The hear a muffled rumbling coming from the circular current having a crescendo effect bouncing off the water
i hear roar as soft whispers and loud thunders.