Nature

Facing West from California’s Shores

by Walt Whitman 1819–1892

From Leaves of Grass

Nature

Facing west from California’s shores,
Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound,
I, a child, very old, over waves, towards the house of maternity,
the land of migrations, look afar,
Look off the shores of my Western sea, the circle almost circled;
For starting westward from Hindustan, from the vales of Kashmere,
From Asia, from the north, from the God, the sage, and the hero,
From the south, from the flowery peninsulas and the spice islands,
Long having wander’d since, round the earth having wander’d,
Now I face home again, very pleas’d and joyous,
(But where is what I started for so long ago?
And why is it yet unfound?)

MLA

Whitman, Walt. “Facing West from California’s Shores.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/whitman/40/.

Chicago

Whitman, Walt. “Facing West from California’s Shores.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/whitman/40/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Walt Whitman