For You O Democracy

With the command “Come” (Line 1), the first stanza’s opening line invites an unidentified audience into a realm where democracy isn’t present or has a limited presence. The speaker promises to form an everlasting, stronger nation. The speaker implies that the nation’s entire destiny rests with the speaker. The speaker repeats the phrase “I will” (Line 2, Line 3), manifesting the idea that the nation’s formation and future rests solely with the speaker. The speaker promises to “make the most splendid race the sun ever shone upon” (Line 2), which echoes the eugenics of Whitman’s time, even though Whitman opposed slavery. Because scholars view Whitman’s poetry as an attempt to embody all of America and to be an inclusive voice for the nation, Whitman’s poetry often includes ideals that often contradict Whitman’s own beliefs. This echo of his time’s eugenics is only one example. The speaker promises they “will make divine lands” (Line 3), implying that they will create a heaven, a utopia shaped with “the love of comrades” (Line 4) and “With the life-long love of comrades” (Line 5). The repetition of the words “comrades” reinforces the idea of unity and brotherhood.

In the second stanza, the speaker resorts to agricultural language and ideas such as planting and nurturing. Whitman himself came from a family with a long line of agricultural history. His family had very little education. In the context of Whitman’s poetry, however, the speaker’s reliance on agricultural imagery is important to note. Whitman’s poetry attempted to create the American epic, which would possibly reach the common person. In the poem, the speaker promises to “plant companionship thick as trees along all the rivers of America” (Line 6). The speaker extends this pursuit to America’s “shores / of the great lakes” (Lines 6-7) and “prairies” (Line 7). The speaker becomes geographically and ecologically inclusive, reinforcing the idea that no part of America will be excluded from unity and democracy. The speaker transitions from the rural, natural settings to the urban. They state they will “make inseparable cities with their arms about each other’s necks” (Line 8). Forming the foundation of this unity is the “love of comrades” (Line 9) and the “manly love of comrades” (Line 10). Complex implications exist for the word “manly” (Line 10). While some scholars interpret this wording as strictly fraternal, others believe the wording points to love between men. Others note that Whitman himself said the wording held political significance.

The poem concludes with a two-line stanza. Each line of the stanza opens with the phrase “For you” (Lines 11, 12). The repetition of “For you” (Lines 11, 12) implies the act of giving, of intent. The recipients of the speaker’s promises shift from the common people and the landscape to “O Democracy” (Line 11). The speaker implies that the ultimate goal is to live in the service of and to democracy, which they refer to as “ma femme!” (Line 11). “Ma femme” (Line 11) is French for “my wife.” This language implies a deeply intimate relationship between the speaker and democracy. To conclude the poem, the speaker declares “For you, for you I am trilling these songs” (Line 12). Democracy becomes a muse, an inspiration.

Part of the poem’s power lies in Whitman’s creation of a persona. A persona is when the poet speaks through an assumed voice. The persona in this poem is wooing democracy. The speaker also assumes the role as an ideal democratic voice who projects an ideal of democracy that Whitman’s society had yet to achieve.