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Leaves of Grass (1891-92)
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View Page 204
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View Page 204
TEARS.
| TEARS! tears! tears! |
| In the night, in solitude, tears, |
| On the white shore dripping, dripping, suck'd in by the sand, |
| Tears, not a star shining, all dark and desolate, |
| Moist tears from the eyes of a muffled head; |
| O who is that ghost? that form in the dark, with tears? |
| What shapeless lump is that, bent, crouch'd there on the sand? |
| Streaming tears, sobbing tears, throes, choked with wild cries; |
|
O storm, embodied, rising, careering with swift steps along the
beach! |
|
O wild and dismal night storm, with wind—O belching and des-
perate! |
|
O shade so sedate and decorous by day, with calm countenance
and regulated pace, |
|
But away at night as you fly, none looking—O then the unloosen'd
ocean, |
| Of tears! tears! tears! |