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TO THE STATES,

To Identify the 16th, 17th, or 18th Presidentiad.

WHY reclining, interrogating? why myself and all drowsing?

What deepening twilight—scum floating atop of the waters,

View Page 219

Who are they as bats and night-dogs askant in the capitol?

What a filthy Presidentiad! (O South, your torrid suns! O North,          your arctic freezings!)

Are those really Congressmen? are those the great Judges? is that          the President?

Then I will sleep awhile yet, for I see that these States sleep, for          reasons;

(With gathering murk, with muttering thunder and lambent shoots          we all duly awake,

South, North, East, West, inland and seaboard, we will surely          awake.)

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