Leaves of Grass (1871-72)

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ROOTS and leaves themselves alone are these;

Scents brought to men and women from the wild woods,
and from the pond-side,

Breast-sorrel and pinks of love—fingers that wind
around tighter than vines,

Gushes from the throats of birds, hid in the foliage of
trees, as the sum is risen;

Breezes of land and love—breezes set from living
shores out to you on the living sea—to you, O
sailors!

Frost-mellow'd berries, and Third-month twigs, offer'd
fresh to young persons wandering out in the
fields when the winter breaks up,

Love-buds, put before you and within you, whoever you
are,

Buds to be unfolded on the old terms;

If you bring the warmth of the sun to them, they will
open, and bring form, color, perfume, to you;

If you become the aliment and the wet, they will become
flowers, fruits, tall branches, and trees.

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The Walt Whitman Archive