“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” Walt Whitman

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

 

OK, so I think that this is one of the most incredible poems ever written, and in so many ways, because it comes from the mind and from the voice of a true poet, of someone who finds great emotion in the world. In my opinion, Whitman is describing the differences between most people, who believe that there is one solid answer to great wonders of the universe, and those like us, the lovers of literature, who see the world a bit differently. We enjoy the great thrills that come from pondering these questions, and wondering about the world, and who find that the greatest knowledge comes from the questions that are unanswered! How many of us have just lost themselves looking into the night sky?

In this poem, the speaker is sitting in a lecture, listening the an astronomer present his scientific answers and research, which we can assume, is about the universe and the skies and the spaces above us. But the speaker becomes bored as the others applaud. Until of course he steps away from the room, and into “the mystical moist night-air.” Where he walks alone, “and from time to time, Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.” This scene is so wonderful, and so familiar to me. I think Whitman is saying that the answers can’t be found by an astronomer, but instead by oneself, gazing upon the stars. It’s this poetic voice that is so strong and relevant today, especially as science delves further and further into uncovering so much of the unknown. But can they? Whitman discovers his own answers, in the night, and alone. And I believe in so many ways, he is truly wiser that the learn’d astronomer. The astronomer can tell us so much, but he can’t tell us why. And Whitman hopes to discover these answers in an entirely different, enlightened way.

I just love this poem, and think that it’s so amazing that it was written in 1865! Also, it shows that in poetry, the reader must not be told the meaning, but instead discover the meaning on their own. And that meaning is unique from every other reader.

Everyone should go out and look at the stars, and find great answers in the unknown, and the beauty of the sky!