THE FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE 226 



upon which Whitman's poems are projected, and. 

 accounts for what several critics call their sense of 

 magnitude, — "something of the vastness of the suc- 

 cession of objects in Nature. " 



" I swear there is no greatness or power that does not emulate 

 those of the earth ! 



I swear there can be no theory of any account, unless it corrob- 

 orate the theory of the earth ! 



No politics, art, religion, behavior, or what not, is of account, 

 unless it compare with the amplitude of the earth, 



Unless it face the exactness, vitality, impartiality, rectitude of 

 the earth." 



Or again, in his " Laws for Creation : " — 



" All must have reference to the ensemble of the world, and the 

 compact truth of the world. 

 There shall be no subject too pronounced — AH works shall 

 illustrate the divine law of indirections." 



Indeed, the earth ever floats in this poet's mind 

 as his mightiest symbol, — his type of completeness 

 and power. It is the armory from which he draws 

 his most potent weapons. See, especially, " To the 

 Sayers of Words," "This Compost," "The Song of 

 the Open Eoad," and "Pensive on her Dead gazing 

 I heard the Mother of all." 



The poet holds essentially the same attitude to- 

 wards cosmic humanity, well illustrated in "Salut 

 au Monde : " — 



" My spirit has pass'd in compassion and determination around 

 the whole earth ; 

 I have look'd for equals and lovers, and found them ready for 



me in all lands; 

 I think some divine rapport has equalized me with them. 



" vapors ! I think I have risen with you and moved away to 

 distant continents, and fallen down there for reasons; 



