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Lyric Poem · Love

Native Moments

by Walt Whitman

NATIVE moments! when you come upon me—Ah you are here now!

Give me now libidinous joys only!

Give me the drench of my passions! Give me life coarse and rank!

To-day, I go consort with nature’s darlings—to-night too;

I am for those who believe in loose delights—I share the midnight orgies of young men;

I dance with the dancers, and drink with the drinkers;

The echoes ring with our indecent calls;

I take for my love some prostitute—I pick out some low person for my dearest friend,

He shall be lawless, rude, illiterate—he shall be one condemn’d by others for deeds

done;

I will play a part no longer—Why should I exile myself from my companions?

O you shunn’d persons! I at least do not shun you,

I come forthwith in your midst—I will be your poet,

I will be more to you than to any of the rest.

Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.

Quick facts

Poem
Native Moments
Poet
Walt Whitman
Length
14 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
Love, Friendship

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
PoetryDBNative Moments 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 ce12c6ceb35039f3
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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