Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.

(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,
I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go,
I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,
I am fill'd with them, and I will fill them in return.)



About This Poem
"Song of the Open Road, I" was published in "Leaves of Grass" (David McKay, 1891-92).

About Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1890, in West Hills, Long Island, N.Y. He worked as a printer, teacher and journalist in New York City throughout his life. Whitman self-published "Leaves of Grass" in 1855, which he continued to revise throughout his life. He died on March 26, 1892.

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This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate