Section 14 Summary

Lines 108-11

Now while I sat in the day and look'd forth,
In the close of the day with its light and the fields of spring, and the farmers preparing their crops,
In the large unconscious scenery of my land with its lakes and forests,
In the heavenly aerial beauty, (after the perturb'd winds and the storms,)

• By the start of section 14, the speaker appears to be blending all settings into one moment here. We've got the landscape with its "fields of spring," the "large unconscious scenery of lakes and forests," and the "heavenly" cosmic beauty of the sky. So now we're seeing a sense of unity between all these different views of his environment. Check out "Setting" for more on this.
• Line 109 prepares us for the "close of the day," but it's also setting us up for the conclusion of this particular poem. (We're not quite at the end yet, sorry Shmoopers, but we're getting there. Just keep chugging along.)
• But we do get a sense of the speaker now "looking forth." He's got a larger perspective of the world around him at this time that's not just limited to his woe and his nation's woe. He's seeing the bigger, brighter picture, in other words. 
• He's also able to look back at "the perturb'd winds and the storms," which are symbols of the nation's Civil War conflict, as well as the bad times of Lincoln's assassination. Things have been rather windy and stormy, but now the speaker can look back at all that—so he's got that going for him.

Lines 112-114

Under the arching heavens of the afternoon swift passing, and the voices of children
and women,
The many-moving sea-tides, and I saw the ships how they sail'd,
And the summer approaching with richness, and the fields all busy with labor,

• In these lines we definitely feel a sense of movement going on in words like "passing," "many moving," "sail'd" (sailed), and "approaching." We're sensing that forward movement the speaker referenced earlier. Life, in all its forms, is moving forward.
• Those "voices of children and women" in line 112 accent this idea of progress and forward motion. It's not just the menfolk who are on the move, but everyone.
• The sailing ships in line 113 also capture the idea of movement in a most literal way as it moves with those "many-moving sea-tides."
• And of course the associative image of "summer approaching with richness" gives the added sense of fertility and beauty. 
• We're reminded again of the perseverance of humanity through labor and work, and complimented by the nature's fertility,

Lines 115-116

And the infinite separate houses, how they all went on, each with its meals and
minutia of daily usages,
And the streets how their throbbings throbb'd, and the cities pent—lo, then and there,

• But our speaker isn't stopping there. He's adding more to this idea of moving on and going forward, now with those "infinite separate houses" that bring forth meals and such. It's true. Folks gotta eat, no matter if they're mourning or happy. 
• Those "throbbing streets" also add some life to the scene, reminding us of a national pulse (since pulses beat or throb) that is still going strong "then and there." Our speaker is basically busting out with a national blood pressure test, and he's liking the results.
• Here we notice too the little things that keep the American spirit alive despite difficult times. The "minutia of daily usages" makes us think of those daily routines that we may take for granted (brushing your teeth, dusting your Pokemon cards), but also constitute the majority of our "normal" daily lives. Without them, that forward motion can't really exist.

Lines 117-119

Falling upon them all and among them all, enveloping me with the rest,
Appear'd the cloud, appear'd the long black trail,
And I knew death, its thought, and the sacred knowledge of death.

• But again we're reminded of that metaphorical cloud that's enveloping the nation with its "long black trail" of death. 
• Bad times, gang. Still, the speaker repeats the word "all" to also remind us that, despite that long black trail, we're still unified in our grieving. 
• And since the cloud "appears" in a rather sudden way here, we know that the death associated with it will not be something that's easily forgotten or ignored. Although we've had brighter and more uplifting moments in these latter sections, the presence of that cloud is still quite palpable. 
• But by line 119, the speaker reminds us of the "sacred" knowledge of death, which again makes death appear less severe and more so a natural or "sacred" part of life—far out.
• Notice too that the speaker here appears to "know" death in a way that indicates that he has by now come to understand death in a less emotional way. In other words, he's not just associating death with his own woe. He's come to some sort of understanding here.

Lines 120-122

Then with the knowledge of death as walking one side of me,
And the thought of death close-walking the other side of me,
And I in the middle as with companions, and as holding the hands of companions,

• Okay, things are getting a little weird here. We get the personification of death as a walking companion. (Yeah, we'll pass.)
• Notice too that death appears to have two sides here: one that represents the speaker's "knowledge" of death and another that represents the speaker's "thought" of death.
• Hmm, so what the heck does that mean? What's the difference? Well, here it seems that "knowledge" of death is the part that's more "sacred" and therefore more in line with an understanding, and accepting, of the nature of death. 
• The speaker's "thought" of death can be understood as more like those human anxieties we associate with it. Perhaps the speaker is referring to the worry, fear, or anguish that the "thought" of death brings.
• Regardless, the speaker has both on each side of him. And since he's "in the middle" and is also "holding the hands" of his companions, we get the sense that neither appears here as more important than the other. He's got both of them going on in his mind. 
• We're also picking up on some of the symbolism behind all this walking and holding hands with death. By strolling together, perhaps we're meant to see the inextricable relationship the speaker holds with death. He can't escape death's presence, so instead he (at least halfway) embraces it, seeing death as a sort of companion rather than a super-scary Grim Reaper.

Lines 123-125

I fled forth to the hiding receiving night that talks not,
Down to the shores of the water, the path by the swamp in the dimness,
To the solemn shadowy cedars and ghostly pines so still.

• We see the speaker again embracing the more mysterious world associated with death in line 123 as he "fled forth to the hiding receiving night." He's not afraid of the night and its darkness here and flees "to" it rather than "from" it. So we have some more evidence to support his newfound understanding of death. 
• In fact, he's embracing the whole dark, mysterious setting that's symbolic of death. He's going right for that "swamp in the dimness" and those "shadowy cedars and ghostly pines." It looks like he's not afraid of any of it anymore.
• Say, we're noticing then a kind of transformation that's occurred within the speaker in the context of coming to terms with death. Check out our "Themes" section for more on that, though.

Lines 126-128

And the singer so shy to the rest receiv'd me,
The gray-brown bird I know receiv'd us comrades three,
And he sang the carol of death, and a verse for him I love.

• Hey, it looks like our hermit-bird singer doesn't mind the speaker so much. He hates on everyone else, but he "receiv'd" our speaker, which is nice. It's as though the mysterious-unconscious world is embracing the speaker just as much as he's embracing it. The feeling is mutual.
• The speaker's not alone, though. Don't forget he's still holding hands with "knowledge of death" and "thought" of death, making their little group a party of "comrades three." Yet, everyone here is getting along in their own, not-so-solitary way. And what connects them, oddly, is the presence of death.
• So what does one do after coming to a better understanding of death? Why, sing a "carol of death," of course. And who is that carol of death dedicated to? Why, it's the one and only Abe Lincoln.
• The mood at this point has therefore become more at peace with the world, the speaker's woe, and the presence of that tall skeleton guy with the dark cloak and reaper. There is still quite a bit of pain there, but the speaker (with the help of the hermit-bird) has learned to channel that pain through song. And that song has of course become the very poem we're reading.
• Groovy, right?

Lines 129-131

From deep secluded recesses,
From the fragrant cedars and the ghostly pines so still,
Came the carol of the bird.

• There are those "deep secluded recesses" again. Whitman tends to get a bit repetitive and long-winded at times, but bear with him. It's all in good elegiac fun. 
• So those mysterious woods and their associative deathly, other worldly atmosphere are all part of those "deep secluded recesses." It's also the place where the bird is singing its "carol of death" and the verse for Lincoln. 
• The setting and the song fit pretty well together in those "ghostly pines." But again, we're not sensing any fear in those ghostly pines. Rather the mood is peaceful, mysterious, and beautiful too with those "fragrant cedars" and the carol of the bird. Check out "Setting" for more on all this. 
• So, even before we get the song itself, we have the feeling that this song for death won't be your typical weepy elegiac carol. It will likely be more uplifting and beautiful—good times in a dark place.

Lines 132-134

And the charm of the carol rapt me,
As I held as if by their hands my comrades in the night,
And the voice of my spirit tallied the song of the bird. 

• Man—it looks like the speaker is really building up this carol. Notice we haven't received the actual song yet, but we have many instances of its alluring sound, and now we see the speaker "rapt" (or enraptured, meaning really taken in) by it. 
• By line 133, we know the speaker isn't literally holding the hands of all his mysterious comrades: Mr. Knowledge-of-Death and Mr. Thought-of-Death. Rather we have more figurative language to suggest his understanding of these aspects of the deathly world.
• Notice too that in, line 134, the speaker appears to have "tallied" (measured, recognized, understood) the "song of the bird" with the "voice of [his] spirit." So now we know that the speaker truly does understand where this hermit-bird is coming from.
• He digs his rap, in other words.
• Line 134 is also a kind of prelude (intro) to the song itself. So we can assume that we'll be hearing the song shortly. Right, Walt?

Lines 135-138

Come lovely and soothing death,
Undulate round the world, serenely arriving, arriving,
In the day, in the night, to all, to each,
Sooner or later delicate death.

• Aaaand… there it is. Immediately we notice the kind of euphemism the speaker is creating through this song in order to make death appear less severe. Here it's "lovely and soothing," rather than something to be feared.
• We also hear the speaker speaking directly to death again, making line 135 another example of an apostrophe. 
• Death also "undulate[s] round the world," which maintains the speaker's sense of unity that we've seen throughout the poem.
• Death is a unifying force that affects all equally. It "arrives" to each "sooner or later." So we get the feeling that death really isn't something tragic, but rather it's a natural part of life, even when we're talking about something unnatural like Lincoln's assassination. (We're looking at you, John Wilkes Booth.)
• What's more, death arrives "serenely," which adds to the image here of it being a gentle, even soothing force that's not something to be feared. (Aw, don't run away. Death just wants a hug, gang.) 
• The alliteration in line 138 of "delicate death" also adds to the euphemism we see here by throwing in a sing-song quality to the line's sound. Check out "Sound Check" for more.

Lines 139-142

Prais'd be the fathomless universe,
For life and joy, and for objects and knowledge curious,
And for love, sweet love—but praise! praise! praise!
For the sure-enwinding arms of cool-enfolding death.

• The speaker's pretty clear here: the "fathomless universe" in line 139 is also something to be praised rather than feared. The speaker here admits that he perhaps does not understand the universe completely ("for objects and knowledge curious"), but he still sees it as something that is fundamentally good.
• Line 140 gives us some of the attributes of this "fathomless universe": life, joy, and later love in line 141. So although the universe can't be fathomed, it can still be handed its props for giving us such wonderful things.
• All of the "praise!" in line 141 is therefore explanation enough in terms of life and death. We need not understand death and its universe, but only praise the joy life brings.
• The personification of death in line 142 adds to this sense of death being a loving companion with "sure-enwinding arms."
• Notice we don't see any black cloaks and scythes. This Grim Reaper is more loving than grim. Maybe he's wearing a black sweater vest and holding a teddy bear instead of a scythe.
• So by now we're feeling the more consoling parts of this elegy that appear to move away from all the woe and encourage us to embrace the speaker's serene understanding and acceptance of death.

Lines 143-146

Dark mother always gliding near with soft feet,
Have none chanted for thee a chant of fullest welcome?
Then I chant it for thee, I glorify thee above all,
I bring thee a song that when thou must indeed come, come unfalteringly.

• Ah, line 143 could arguably be the most beautiful metaphor ever written for death. Seriously, the speaker makes death sound like a mom who's eager to throw some cookies in the oven for us. (Mmm, death-cookies.) He even adds some aural (related to hearing) imagery to the metaphor by including those "soft feet." We can almost hear that "dark mother" nearby. 
• And the speaker even manages to make us feel kind of guilty about always hating on death. He says in line 144 that no one ever chants songs for death "of fullest welcome." (Well, that's probably because folks aren't always eager to praise death, dude.) But the speaker's a nice guy and he sees death as something rather beautiful that deserves a song.
• So in line 145 he chants for death (remember that he's referring to his own poem here as a "chant" and a "song") and he even glorifies death above all. He's definitely making up for all the haters.
• And by line 146, again via apostrophe, he tells death that, whenever she indeed comes, she should do so "unfalteringly," meaning without hesitation. That's how natural death feels to him at this point. It's little different from breathing (or, you know, maybe the complete opposite), but you get the idea).

Lines 147-150

Approach strong deliveress,
When it is so, when thou hast taken them I joyously sing the dead,
Lost in the loving floating ocean of thee,
Laved in the flood of thy bliss O death.

• As lovely and gentle as death is and all, the speaker also points out her strength in line 147 as a "strong deliveress." She's got a job to do, in other words. "Strong deliveress" is another euphemism for death that the speaker has cooked up. (Check out "Symbols, Imagery, and Wordplay") for more.
• By line 148, we know the speaker has pretty much gotten over all the doom and gloom associated with death (even if the gloom was at a bare minimum in this poem). Here he "joyously sing[s]" and celebrates the dead, which is quite different from all the funeral processions we saw much earlier.
• And line 149 gives us another beautiful metaphor for death and her "loving floating ocean." The speaker is making it clear to us that he has a way more optimistic idea of death. And again we sense more unity with the image of a "loving ocean" welcoming the all dead—including, one day, our speaker.
• The speaker is even "laved in the flood" meaning bathed in the flood of death's bliss. For our speaker, dying has gone from this dark cloud of woe to the ultimate good-times trip.

Lines 151-154

From me to thee glad serenades,
Dances for thee I propose saluting thee, adornments and feastings for thee,
And the sights of the open landscape and the high-spread sky are fitting,
And life and the fields, and the huge and thoughtful night.

• We get more apostrophes directed at death in lines 151-152. But by now we know they serve a real purpose since this particular song is for death (oh yeah, and Lincoln). 
• The speaker wants to do it all for death, including dances and feasts. And you thought a song was enough…
• The image in lines 153-154 becomes very open and spread out, reflecting death's limitless and all-encompassing reach. Just as the cloud of death hung over the entire country, now the landscape and "high-spread sky" of life are within death's far reach.
• Line 154 also adds to the openness of the imagery here by including "fields, and the huge and thoughtful night." Not only do we feel a bit uplifted in a metaphysical-spiritual way, but we also have the added bonus of feeling uplifted in an intellectual way here. The open and mysterious night is personified now as "thoughtful" too (we wonder what it's thinking about), which adds to its intrigue and beauty.

Lines 155-158

The night in silence under many a star,
The ocean shore and the husky whispering wave whose voice I know,
And the soul turning to thee O vast and well-veil'd death,
And the body gratefully nestling close to thee.

• Everything is peaceful and "in silence" at this point of the song. Even the ocean has "whispering waves" that don't appear to be crashing against cliffs or anything. (We get more alliteration there, by the way, that accents the "whispering" sound of the "wave.") 
• The soul that is "turning" to death is presumably Lincoln, since we know this song is for him. And we're not too worried about the former president either since his body appears in line 158 as "gratefully nestling close" to death. It sounds pretty cozy actually. 
• So everyone, even the landscape, appears to be at peace with death and is accepting of its "vast" influence. The speaker is also well beyond all of his initial woe and reminds us that he "knows" death and its ocean by now.
• He's even more willing to let go of the one he loves, since he sees him here as feeling grateful for death's warm embrace.

Lines 159-162

Over the tree-tops I float thee a song,
Over the rising and sinking waves, over the myriad fields and the prairies wide,
Over the dense-pack'd cities all and the teeming wharves and ways,
I float this carol with joy, with joy to thee O death.

• It kind of feels like we're in the Wizard of Oz at this point with all the "over the" repetition (thanks to more anaphora). 
• The speaker gives the impression of the carol floating over everything. Just like death that connects everything, this carol likewise reaches all places.
• The speaker reminds us again of those "dense-pack'd cities" and all of the life and progress they symbolize. Within those cities are the people who keep the whole cycle of life and death alive. Without them, the song wouldn't have any use.
• The mood by the very end of the song is not only peaceful, it's also joyful in its celebration of death. So death, by the end, has got her very own song that's not weepy but rather joyful about her presence. Yay, death.
• Through the song then, the speaker manages to transcend (move beyond) all of his woe, and we see this transcendence most in his use of the word "float." Float on, you crazy fan of death.