Lyric Poem · Nature

The Ship Starting

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1LO! the unbounded sea!

2On its breast a Ship starting, spreading all her sails—an ample Ship,

3 carrying even her moonsails;

4The pennant is flying aloft, as she speeds, she speeds so stately—below,

5 emulous waves press forward,

6They surround the Ship, with shining curving motions, and foam.

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“The Ship Starting” by Walt Whitman — quilloak.com/poems/the-ship-starting

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Author record: Walt Whitman1819–1892
Source record: PoetryDBThe Ship 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 069dcaabae1d210f…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.