Death & Dying
When I Read the Book
From Leaves of Grass
Death & Dying
When I read the book, the biography famous,
And is this then (said I) what the author calls a man’s life?
And so will some one when I am dead and gone write my life?
(As if any man really knew aught of my life,
Why even I myself I often think know little or nothing of my real life,
Only a few hints, a few diffused faint clews and indirections
I seek for my own use to trace out here.)
Cite this poem
MLA
Whitman, Walt. “When I Read the Book.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/whitman/8/.
Chicago
Whitman, Walt. “When I Read the Book.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/whitman/8/.
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