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Home  »  A Library of American Literature  »  Youth, Day, Old Age and Night

Stedman and Hutchinson, comps. A Library of American Literature:
An Anthology in Eleven Volumes. 1891.
Vols. IX–XI: Literature of the Republic, Part IV., 1861–1889

Youth, Day, Old Age and Night

By Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

[Leaves of Grass. 1855.—Leaves of Grass, and Two Rivulets: Centennial Edition. 1876.—Leaves of Grass: with additions. 1881.—November Boughs. 1888.—Complete Works. 1888. See full text.]

YOUTH, large, lusty, loving—youth full of grace, force, fascination,

Do you know that Old Age may come after you with equal grace, force, fascination?

Day full-blown and splendid—day of the immense sun, action, ambition, laughter,

The Night follows close with millions of suns, and sleep and restoring darkness.