Leaves of Grass, Part 102 summary
Part 102 of 358 · Book 5: Calamus · 4 min to read the part
In As I Ebbed with the Ocean of Life, the speaker studies debris on Paumanok’s shore and sees his own uncertain identity and poems in its scattered fragments. His confidence gives way to self-doubt, then to an appeal for closeness with the island and a tender address to the ocean and an unnamed observer.
What happens
- Walking along Paumanok late on an autumn day, the speaker turns his attention from the distance to debris deposited by the tide.
- He compares himself to washed-up fragments and doubts whether his poems reveal anything about his real identity.
- He joins his murmuring to the oceans and embraces Paumanok as a father, asking it to answer him.
- He addresses the ocean tenderly and presents himself and his fragments at the feet of an unnamed observer.
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In this part
What to notice
The speaker identifies himself with the shore’s discarded fragments. This comparison links his doubts about identity and poetry to his desire for belonging.
Quick check
What does the speaker ask Paumanok, addressed as his father, to reveal?
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