Songs of Parting (missives). by Walt Whitman: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This isn’t a poem but rather a preface by William Michael Rossetti for his 1868 selection of Whitman's works.
The poem
The first three designations explain themselves. The fourth, _Leaves of Grass_, is not so specially applicable to the particular poems of that section here as I should have liked it to be; but I could not consent to drop this typical name. The _Songs of Parting_, my fifth section, are compositions in which the poet expresses his own sentiment regarding his works, in which he forecasts their future, or consigns them to the reader's consideration. It deserves mention that, in the copy of Whitman's last American edition revised by his own hand, as previously noticed, the series termed _Songs of Parting_ has been recast, and made to consist of poems of the same character as those included in my section No. 5. Comparatively few of Whitman's poems have been endowed by himself with titles properly so called. Most of them are merely headed with the opening words of the poems themselves--as "I was looking a long while;" "To get betimes in Boston Town;" "When lilacs last in the door-yard bloomed;" and so on. It seems to me that in a selection such a lengthy and circuitous method of identifying the poems is not desirable: I should wish them to be remembered by brief, repeatable, and significant titles. I have therefore supplied titles of my own to such pieces as bear none in the original edition: wherever a real title appears in that edition, I have retained it. With these remarks I commend to the English reader the ensuing selection from a writer whom I sincerely believe to be, whatever his faults, of the order of _great_ poets, and by no means of pretty good ones. I would urge the reader not to ask himself, and not to return any answer to the questions, whether or not this poet is like other poets--whether or not the particular application of rules of art which is found to hold good in the works of those others, and to constitute a part of their excellence, can be traced also in Whitman. Let the questions rather be--Is he powerful? Is he American? Is he new? Is he rousing? Does he feel and make me feel? I entertain no doubt as to the response which in due course of time will be returned to these questions and such as these, in America, in England, and elsewhere--or to the further question, "Is Whitman then indeed a true and a great poet?" Lincoln's verdict bespeaks the ultimate decision upon him, in his books as in his habit as he lives--"Well, _he_ looks like a man." Walt Whitman occupies at the present moment a unique position on the globe, and one which, even in past time, can have been occupied by only an infinitesimally small number of men. He is the one man who entertains and professes respecting himself the grave conviction that he is the actual and prospective founder of a new poetic literature, and a great one--a literature proportional to the material vastness and the unmeasured destinies of America: he believes that the Columbus of the continent or the Washington of the States was not more truly than himself in the future a founder and upbuilder of this America. Surely a sublime conviction, and expressed more than once in magnificent words--none more so than the lines beginning "Come, I will make this continent indissoluble."[7] [Footnote 7: See the poem headed _Love of Comrades_, p. 308.] Were the idea untrue, it would still be a glorious dream, which a man of genius might be content to live in and die for: but is it untrue? Is it not, on the contrary, true, if not absolutely, yet with a most genuine and substantial approximation? I believe it _is_ thus true. I believe that Whitman is one of the huge, as yet mainly unrecognised, forces of our time; privileged to evoke, in a country hitherto still asking for its poet, a fresh, athletic, and American poetry, and predestined to be traced up to by generation after generation of believing and ardent--let us hope not servile--disciples. "Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." Shelley, who knew what he was talking about when poetry was the subject, has said it, and with a profundity of truth Whitman seems in a peculiar degree marked out for "legislation" of the kind referred to. His voice will one day be potential or magisterial wherever the English language is spoken--that is to say, in the four corners of the earth; and in his own American hemisphere, the uttermost avatars of democracy will confess him not more their announcer than their inspirer.
This isn’t a poem but rather a preface by William Michael Rossetti for his 1868 selection of Whitman's works. In it, he explains his organization of the collection and the rationale behind assigning titles to poems that originally lacked them. Rossetti argues that Whitman is a truly great poet — not just decent — and believes that eventually, everyone will recognize this. Consider it a heartfelt introduction from a devoted admirer urging you to appreciate Whitman before you judge him by conventional standards.
Line-by-line
The first three designations explain themselves. The fourth, _Leaves of Grass_, is not so specially applicable...
Comparatively few of Whitman's poems have been endowed by himself with titles properly so called...
With these remarks I commend to the English reader the ensuing selection from a writer whom I sincerely believe to be...
Walt Whitman occupies at the present moment a unique position on the globe...
"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world." Shelley, who knew what he was talking about...
Tone & mood
The tone is confident and advocacy-driven without being over the top. Rossetti writes as if he’s already convinced and is now methodically presenting the evidence for a skeptical audience. There’s a sense of warmth and real admiration, yet it never becomes overly enthusiastic — he even casually notes Whitman's shortcomings. The overall impression is that of a trusted guide saying: trust me, take a close look at this man.
Symbols & metaphors
- Leaves of Grass — The title of Whitman's life's work serves as a symbol of his poetic identity—organic, distinctly American, and defying neat categorization. Rossetti retains the name even when it seems out of place because it represents something bigger than any individual section.
- Columbus / Washington — These two figures symbolize the act of founding — of creating something truly new. Rossetti uses them to portray Whitman not as a literary craftsman polishing an old tradition but as a creator of something entirely original.
- Lincoln's verdict — Lincoln's straightforward comment — 'Well, he looks like a man' — symbolizes democratic common sense breaking past the barriers set by literary elites. It conveys that, regardless of what the critics might say, the most quintessentially American figure acknowledged Whitman as genuine.
- The unacknowledged legislator — Borrowed from Shelley, this phrase captures the notion that poets subtly mold the moral and political imagination of society, even without official power. Rossetti uses it in reference to Whitman to suggest that his impact will resonate within democracy itself, not merely in the realm of literary history.
Historical context
William Michael Rossetti, the brother of painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and a founding member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, published *Poems by Walt Whitman* in London in 1868. This was the first significant selection of Whitman's work made available to British readers, introducing a poet who was still largely overlooked or dismissed in his own country to a much more receptive audience. Rossetti edited the collection with care, removing poems he believed might offend Victorian sensibilities and adding titles where Whitman had left them out. His preface serves as a public defense of these choices and presents his broader argument for Whitman's literary significance. The 1860s were a crucial period: Whitman had just experienced the Civil War, published the *Drum-Taps* poems, and was continually revising *Leaves of Grass*. Rossetti's support played a key role in establishing Whitman's transatlantic reputation, which would eventually lead to Whitman becoming one of the most influential poets in the English language.
FAQ
It isn't a poem. It's Rossetti's editorial preface to his 1868 anthology of Whitman's work. While it falls under the heading *Songs of Parting (missives)* in the collection, the content is prose that critiques and advocates, rather than being poetry.
The author is William Michael Rossetti, not Whitman. Rossetti put together and edited this selection, writing the preface to share his editorial choices and highlight Whitman's significance for British readers.
Whitman usually started his poems with their first lines instead of giving them separate titles, which Rossetti thought were too lengthy and cumbersome for someone trying to recall or suggest a particular poem. He created shorter, catchier titles while preserving any original titles that Whitman had assigned.
He's cautioning readers against evaluating Whitman using the criteria set for poets like Keats or Tennyson — regular meter, traditional form, refined language. Whitman intentionally defies those conventions. Rossetti argues that the important questions are more straightforward: is he impactful? Does he evoke emotions? Is he original?
Lincoln reportedly remarked about Whitman, "Well, he looks like a man," suggesting that Whitman had the demeanor and presence of a truly substantial human being. Rossetti interprets this as a form of democratic validation—if the most American president acknowledged Whitman's authenticity, that should carry more weight than any critic's objection.
He means Whitman thought he was crafting a completely new kind of poetry that matched America's vastness and democratic values — not just refining European traditions but beginning anew. Rossetti takes this claim seriously and argues that it's fundamentally true, rather than merely a grandiose illusion.
It originates from Percy Bysshe Shelley's prose essay *A Defence of Poetry* (written in 1821 and published in 1840). Rossetti references it to suggest that poets influence a society's values and imagination even without formal power, asserting that Whitman is the poet most capable of achieving this for American democracy.
After Rossetti's 1868 anthology, Whitman was mostly unheard of in Britain and remained a contentious figure in America. Rossetti's edition, bolstered by his Pre-Raphaelite reputation, brought Whitman to the attention of British readers, who reacted positively. This recognition across the Atlantic played a crucial role in legitimizing Whitman in the U.S. and paved the way for his lasting global reputation today.