Children of Adam: Summary and Analysis
“Children of Adam” contains sixteen poems, the longest of which, “I Sing the Body Electric,” is divided into nine sections. The poems in this section explore embodiment and the human form in celebration of sensory experiences, such as touch, sexual desire and acts, and procreation.
To the Garden the World
The section begins with rebirth; Whitman writes that “to the garden the world anew ascending,” as if mankind is returning to their idyllic origins in the Garden of Eden. The speaker adopts the perspective of Adam, gazing in awe at the multitude of forms before him and staring ardently at their perfect forms. Looking at the figures before him, he is stunned by the sight of these amorous, wondrous beings who wish to enjoy “the life of their bodies” and begins to become aware of his own form, too.
Despite the awe-inducing sight before him, Adam feels at ease and content with the present and the past, with Eve following him or him “following her just the same.” Their dynamic indicates Whitman’s respect for both men and women and his love for the human form, regardless of gender.
I Sing the Body Electric
The poet celebrates the human body and the “armies of those I love.” He says that the body matters as much as the soul and is indeed identical to the soul. Male and female bodies are both perfect; moreover, the expressions of men and women appear not only on their faces but also in how they move their bodies. Describing how people move and how their movements reflect their nature, Whitman tells the story of “a common farmer” whose vigor, calmness, and beauty were wonderful to behold. The farmer had five sons and many grandsons, but he outstripped them all as “the most beautiful and vigorous of the gang” by his movements alone.
The female form, however, exhales a “divine nimbus”; the speaker is helpless against its attraction. Because women bear children, they are “the gates of the body” and “the gates of the soul.” Despite their unique ability to bring life, women are no more imbued with the soul’s divinity than men—in this respect, too, the sexes are equal and aligned. Every emotion and attitude is becoming, and every body is sacred, no matter how poor or humble.
Whitman says that before the Civil War, he would often “go to the slave-mart and watch the sale.” There, he would disrupt the auctioneer by pointing out the wonder of the human body, for which no bid could possibly be high enough. He also describes a woman sold at auction as “the teeming mother of mothers” and says that “the human body is sacred,” if anything is.
In the final section of the poem, the poet addresses his own body, telling it that he “dare not desert the likes of you in other men and women” and repeating his view that the body is the same as the soul. He says that the body is also a poem and describes many of its organs and features in a long list before repeating that these are not parts of the body alone but also of the soul.
A Woman Waits for Me
The speaker says that the woman who waits for him contains everything and lacks nothing. He praises men and women who understand the “deliciousness” of their sex and says that he will be the “robust husband” of such warm-blooded women. He looks forward to the generations of artists and singers that will be born when he drains “the pent-up rivers” of himself into these women and expects...
(This entire section contains 1028 words.)
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them to “interpenetrate with others” in their turn. The poem ends with the image of these future generations as crops that he now lovingly plants.
Out of the Rolling Ocean the Crowd
In this poem, an unnamed “drop” separates itself from the depths of the “rolling ocean” and presents itself to Whitman as a lover might. The “drop” confesses a deep, undying love for the poet, speaking effortlessly on love’s undying nature and eternal visage. Whitman reassures this loving voice, telling the “drop” that he, too, is part of the ocean, so they will not be separated and will live on, united among the waves. In admiration for the “drop” and for all those drops that make up this singular, achingly beautiful ocean, Whitman salutes “the air, the ocean, and the land.”
Once I Pass’d Through a Populous City
Whitman retells a trip through an unnamed city; he recalls carefully observing its architecture and customs so that they would remain in his mind. Despite his efforts, however, he only remembers a woman who “passionately clung” to him and with whom he spent his days and nights. In his mind, he still sees her beside him with her “lips sad and tremulous” as he relives the time when they were together. The grandeur of the city pales in comparison to these fleeting memories of her company, and the story reprises Whitman’s earlier comments on the equivalent value of even the minutest moment or experience.
Facing West from California’s Shores
The speaker describes himself gazing out over the Pacific Ocean from the California coast. At once, he is both a child and an old man; as he stares out over the water, his eyes linger in the direction of Asia, and he recalls the days he spent wandering around the world. Although he appreciates that he is once more home, he also wonders what it was that he sought during his travels and questions why he has yet to find it, even still.
As Adam Early in the Morning
The final poem—and one of the shortest—of the section, “As Adam Early in the Morning” returns to the perspective of Adam; Whitman characterizes himself as Adam, newly awakened from a long night’s rest. Returning to the sensuality of the first poem in the section, Whitman once more praises physicality and invites readers to revel in their bodies and his own, as the soul exults in physical touch, that most perfect union of bodies and souls.
