【美国人物志】沃尔特·惠特曼 (7/8)

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沃尔特·惠特曼（英语：Walter Whitman，1819年5月31日－1892年3月26日），美国诗人、散文家、新闻工作者及人文主义者。
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"Leaves of Grass"
Walt Whitman
Camden
New Jersey
"Song of Myself"

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Experts today praise "Leaves of Grass" as a major literary work. In his time, Whitman thought of it as a work in progress. He republished the book every few years for the rest of his life. Each time he added new poems. And he changed many of the old lines. The last version of the book contained more than 400 poems. By then, Whitman's fame had spread to many nations.
In 1873, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. He wrote more poems. He also wrote about political and democratic policies.
Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in 1892. But if we can believe his poetry, death held no terrors for him. Listen to these lines from "Song of Myself".