Walt Whitman - The Ox tamer

Walt Whitman - The Ox tamer

IN a faraway northern county, in the placid, pastoral region, br Lives my farmer friend, the theme of my recitative, a famous Tamer of br Oxen: br There they bring him the three-year-olds and the four-year-olds, to br break them; br He will take the wildest steer in the world, and break him and tame br him; br He will go, fearless, without any whip, where the young bullock br chafes up and down the yard; br The bullock's head tosses restless high in the air, with raging eyes; br Yet, see you! how soon his rage subsides--how soon this Tamer tames br him: br See you! on the farms hereabout, a hundred oxen, young and old--and br he is the man who has tamed them; br They all know him--all are affectionate to him; br See you! some are such beautiful animals--so lofty looking! 10 br Some are buff color'd--some mottled--one has a white line running br along his back--some are brindled, br Some have wide flaring horns (a good sign)--See you! the bright br hides; br See, the two with stars on their foreheads--See, the round bodies and br broad backs; br See, how straight and square they stand on their legs--See, what br fine, sagacious eyes; br See, how they watch their Tamer--they wish him near them--how they br turn to look after him! br What yearning expression! how uneasy they are when he moves away from br them: br --Now I marvel what it can be he appears to them, (books, politics, br poems depart--all else departs;) br I confess I envy only his fascination--my silent, illiterate friend, br Whom a hundred oxen love, there in his life on farms, br In the northern county far, in the placid, pastoral region.


User: PoemHunter.com

Views: 37

Uploaded: 2014-11-07

Duration: 02:14

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