Here is a list of Walt Whitman Love Poems
- Fast Anchor’d, Eternal, O Love
- Sometimes with One I Love.
- When I heard at the Close of the Day.
- To One Shortly to Die.
- I Dream’d in a Dream.
- As if a Phantom Caress’d Me.
Walt Whitman was one of the most popular authors of American poetry of the 19th century, who gained fame by publishing his first and only compilation of verses ‘Leaves of Grass’ (1855). He’s considered ‘the voice of the people’ and ‘the mouthpiece of blue collars’. However, few know that besides his tremendous work with the themes of social injustice and American Dream, his love poetry is recognized as a benchmark of sensual lyric.
The most famous Whitman’s poems about love are ‘As If a Phantom Caress’d Me’, ‘Fast Anchor’d Eternal O Love!’ and ‘When I Heard at the Close of the Day’. They all share features of classical, delicate, gentle and graceful ballads. He praises the notion of love itself and refers to his wife as a primordial source of inspiration. Moreover, there is a deep hidden sense in his poems, like if he led a personal diary where he tries to intertwine reality and a lucid dream in the attempt to deduce a meaning of life: ‘Fast-anchor’d eternal O love! O woman I love! O bride! O wife! More resistless than I can tell, the thought of you!’.
Notwithstanding, Walt Whitman’s love poetry reflects the dark and abysmal side of having one’s heart broken, as well. His short but illuminating free verses tell the story of a person whose love has been rejected, saying: ‘Sometimes with one I love I fill myself with rage for fear I effuse unreturn’d love’. Whereas, it’s important to underscore the enthusiasm and vital power radiating through his vibrant words, which testify that his will to live and create doesn’t sink with his broken heart.
Walt Whitman’s poems about love are truly magnetizing. They are filled with hope, tranquility and sensitivity of a person, who’s ready to sing about the joy of loving someone as well as being loved.