#MIDDLEBURY
When I Read the Book
Walt Whitman
When I read the book, the biography famous,
And is this then (said I) what the author calls a man’s life?
And so will some one when I am dead and gone write my life?
(As if any man really knew aught my life,
Why even I myself I often think know little or nothing of my real life,
Only a few hints, a few diffused faint clews and indirections
I seek for my own use to trace out here.)
About this poem
“When I Read the Book” was published in the 1881 edition of “Leaves of Grass” (James R. Osgood, 1881).
About Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, and is widely considered one of America’s most important poets. He worked as a printer, teacher and journalist in the New York City area. He is best known for his work “Leaves of Grass,” which he composed and updated throughout his entire adult life. He died on March 26, 1892.
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day@poets.org.
This poem is in the public domain. Originally published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.
