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Lyric Poem · Nature

From Paumanok Starting

by Walt Whitman

FROM Paumanock starting, I fly like a bird,

Around and around to soar, to sing the idea of all;

To the north betaking myself, to sing there arctic songs,

To Kanada, till I absorb Kanada in myself—to Michigan then,

To Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, to sing their songs, (they are inimitable;)

Then to Ohio and Indiana to sing theirs—to Missouri and Kansas and Arkansas, to sing

theirs,

To Tennessee and Kentucky—to the Carolinas and Georgia, to sing theirs,

To Texas, and so along up toward California, to roam accepted everywhere;

To sing first, (to the tap of the war-drum, if need be,)

The idea of all—of the western world, one and inseparable.

And then the song of each member of These States.

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Quick facts

Poem
From Paumanok Starting
Poet
Walt Whitman
Length
12 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Nature, War & Remembrance

Text, source & rights

A traceable edition

Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.

Author record
Walt Whitman1819–1892
Source record
PoetryDBFrom Paumanok Starting by walt-whitman, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision
Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record
Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint
SHA-256 45499c92934fea87
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
Jurisdiction-specific, never a worldwide claimRights policyReport a text or rights issue

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