Children of Adam（二）

    FROM pent-up aching rivers，

    From that of myself without which I were nothing，

    From what I am determin'd to make illustrious， even if I

    stand sole among men，

    From my own voice resonant¹， singing the phallus，

    Singing the song of procreation，

    Singing the need of superb children and therein superb grown

    people，

    Singing the muscular urge and the blending，

    Singing the bedfellow's song， （O resistless yearning²！

    O for any and each the body correlative attracting！

    O for you whoever you are your correlative body！ O it，

    more than all else， you delighting！）

    From the hungry gnaw³ that eats me night and day，

    From native moments， from bashful pains， singing them，

    Seeking something yet unfound though I have diligently⁴

    sought it many a long year，

    Singing the true song of the soul fitful at random⁵，

    Renascent⁶ with grossest Nature or among animals，

    Of that， of them and what goes with them my poems

    informing，

    Of the smell of apples and lemons， of the pairing of birds，

    Of the wet of woods， of the lapping of waves，

    Of the mad pushes of waves upon the land， I them chanting，

    The overture⁷ lightly sounding， the strain anticipating，

    The welcome nearness， the sight of the perfect body，

    The swimmer swimming naked in the bath， or motionless on

    his back lying and floating，

    The female form approaching， I pensive⁸， love-flesh tremulous

    aching，

    The divine list for myself or you or for any one making，

    The face， the limbs， the index from head to foot， and what it

    arouses，

    The mystic deliria， the madness amorous⁹， the utter abandonment，

    （Hark close and still what I now whisper to you，

    I love you， O you entirely¹⁰ possess me，

    O that you and I escape from the rest and go utterly¹¹ off， free

    and lawless，

    Two hawks¹² in the air， two fishes swimming in the sea not

    more lawless than we；）

    The furious storm through me careering， I passionately¹³

    trembling，

    The oath of the inseparableness of two together， of the

    woman that loves me and whom I love more than my

    life， that oath swearing，

    （O I willingly stake all for you，

    O let me be lost if it must be so！

    O you and I！ what is it to us what the rest do or think？

    What is all else to us？ only that we enjoy each other and exhaust

    each other if it must be so；）

    From the master， the pilot I yield the vessel¹⁴ to，

    The general commanding me， commanding all， from him

    permission taking，

    From time the programme hastening， （I have loiter'd too

    long as it is，）

    From sex， from the warp¹⁵ and from the woof，

    From privacy， from frequent repinings alone，

    From plenty of persons near and yet the right person not

    near，

    From the soft sliding of hands over me and thrusting of

    fingers through my hair and beard，

    From the long sustain'd kiss upon the mouth or bosom¹⁶，

    From the close pressure that makes me or any man drunk，

    fainting with excess，

    From what the divine husband knows， from the work of

    fatherhood，

    From exultation¹⁷， victory and relief from the bedfellow's

    embrace in the night，

    From the act-poems of eyes， hands， hips¹⁸ and bosoms¹⁹，

    From the cling of the trembling arm，

    From the bending curve and the clinch²⁰，

    From side by side the pliant²¹ coverlet off-throwing，

    From the one so unwilling²² to have me leave， and me just as

    unwilling to leave，

    （Yet a moment O tender waiter， and I return，）

    From the hour of shining stars and dropping dews，

    From the night a moment I emerging flitting out，

    Celebrate you act divine and you children prepared for，

    And you stalwart loins.