| Nicholson & Lee, eds. The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. 1917. |
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| 121. Chanting the Square Deific |
| By Walt Whitman (1819–1892) |
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| CHANTING the square deific, out of the One advancing, out of the sides, | |
| Out of the old and new, out of the square entirely divine, | |
| Solid, four-sided, (all the sides needed,) from this side Jehovah am I, | |
| Old Brahm I, and I Saturnius am; | |
| Not Time affects me—I am Time, old, modern as any, | 5 |
| Unpersuadable, relentless, executing righteous judgements, | |
| As the Earth, the Father, the brown old Kronos, with laws, | |
| Aged beyond computation, yet ever new, ever with those mighty laws rolling, | |
| Relentless, I forgive no man—whoever sins dies—I will have that man’s life; | |
| Therefore let none expect mercy—have the seasons, gravitation, the appointed days, mercy? no more have I, | 10 |
| But as the seasons and gravitation, and as all the appointed days that forgive not, | |
| I dispense from this side judgements inexorable without the least remorse. | |
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| Consolator most mild, the promis’d one advancing, | |
| With gentle hand extended, the mightier God am I, | |
| Foretold by prophets and poets in their most rapt prophecies and poems, | 15 |
| From this side, lo! the Lord Christ gazes—lo! Hermes I—lo! mine is Hercules’ face, | |
| All sorrow, labour, suffering, I, tallying it, absorb in myself, | |
| Many times have I been rejected, taunted, put in prison and crucified, and many times shall be again, | |
| All the world have I given up for my dear brothers’ and sisters’ sake, for the soul’s sake, | |
| Wending my way through the homes of men, rich or poor, with the kiss of affection, | 20 |
| For I am affection, I am the cheer-bringing God, with hope and all-enclosing charity, | |
| With indulgent words as to children, with fresh and sane words, mine only, | |
| Young and strong I pass knowing well I am destin’d myself to an early death; | |
| But my charity has no death—my wisdom dies not, neither early nor late, | |
| And my sweet love bequeath’d here and elsewhere never dies. | 25 |
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| Aloof, dissatisfied, plotting revolt, | |
| Comrade of criminals, brother of slaves, | |
| Crafty, despised, a drudge, ignorant, | |
| With sudra face and worn brow, black, but in the depths of my heart, proud as any, | |
| Lifted now and always against whoever scorning assumes to rule me, | 30 |
| Morose, full of guile, full of reminiscences, brooding, with many wiles, | |
| (Though it was thought I was baffled and dispel’d, and my wiles done, but that will never be,) | |
| Defiant, I, Satan, still live, still utter words, in new lands duly appearing, (and old ones also,) | |
| Permanent here from my side, warlike, equal with any, real as any, | |
| Nor time nor change shall ever change me or my words. | 35 |
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| Santa Spirita, breather, life, | |
| Beyond the light, lighter than light, | |
| Beyond the flames of hell, joyous, leaping easily above hell, | |
| Beyond Paradise, perfumed solely with mine own perfume, | |
| Including all life on earth, touching, including God, including Saviour and Satan, | 40 |
| Ethereal, pervading all (for without me what were all? what were God?), | |
| Essence of forms, life of the real identities, permanent, positive, (namely the unseen,) | |
| Life of the great round world, the sun and stars, and of man, I, the general soul, | |
| Here the square finishing, the solid, I the most solid, | |
| Breathe my breath also through these songs. | 45 |
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