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2.
| 1 TO ORATISTS—to male or female, |
|
Vocalism, breath, measure, concentration, determina-
tion, and the divine power to use words. |
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2
Are you full-lung'd and limber-lipp'd from long
trial? from vigorous practice? from physique? |
| Do you move in these broad lands as broad as they? |
| Come duly to the divine power to use words? |
|
3
For only at last, after many years—after chastity,
friendship, procreation, prudence, and naked- ness; |
| After treading ground and breasting river and lake; |
|
After a loosen'd throat—after absorbing eras, temper-
aments, races—after knowledge, freedom, crimes; |
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After complete faith—after clarifyings, elevations, and
removing obstructions; |
|
After these, and more, it is just possible there comes
to a man, a woman, the divine power to use words. |
|
4
Then toward that man or that woman, swiftly hasten
all—None refuse, all attend; |
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Armies, ships, antiquities, the dead, libraries, paintings,
machines, cities, hate, despair, amity, pain, theft, murder, aspiration, form in close ranks; |
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They debouch as they are wanted to march obediently
through the mouth of that man, or that woman. |
| 5 O I see arise orators fit for inland America; |
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And I see it is as slow to become an orator as to be-
come a man; |
| And I see that power is folded in a great vocalism. |
|
6
Of a great vocalism, the merciless light thereof shall
pour, and the storm rage, |
| Every flash shall be a revelation, an insult, |
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The glaring flame on depths, on heights, on suns, on
stars, |
| On the interior and exterior of man or woman, |
| On the laws of Nature—on passive materials, |
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On what you called death—(and what to you there-
fore was death, |
| As far as there can be death.) |