The poem "Whispers of Heavenly Death" by poet Walt Whitman from his epic work “Leaves of Grass” is essentially a treatise on the author’s viewpoint of the grand theme of Death. Whitman views death as ‘heavenly’, not something morbid and to be greatly feared.
Death, he indicates, speaks softly, and is not a cantankerous and frightful part of life. Some people view death as anything but heavenly, though.
Whitman likens the call of Death to ‘sibilant chorals.’ In describing death he employs euphemistic terms such as ‘gently’, ‘mystical, as well as ‘soft.’ Nonetheless, Whitman does interject what is certainly a part of Death, and this is his acquiescence to the fact that pain is a part of Death. In likening Death to rivers and currents he does says that:
(Or is it the plashing of tears? The measureless waters of human tears?)
So while describing Death as heavenly, Whitman does not discount the fact that sadness is a part of Death. He does use words such as ‘mournfully’ when describing Death as being like masses of clouds that sometimes mix with a ‘sadden’d far-off star.’
So, while there are whispers of heavenly Death as the title of this poem states, there is also the pain and suffering that is part of Death. To those who believe in something beyond death, the heavenly thought can be of great comfort.
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