Leaves of Grass, Part 96 summary
Part 96 of 358 · Book 5: Calamus · 2 min to read the part
In France the 18Th Year of These States, the speaker pictures liberty as an infant born amid violence and sends sympathy across the sea to Paris. Rather than reject the bloodshed outright, the speaker accepts it as retribution, supports a shared cause, and imagines French music becoming a triumphant march.
What happens
- The speaker hears a painful birth cry across the sea and sees a divine infant surrounded by destruction.
- Facing corpses, executions, and gunfire, the speaker asks whether humanity, justice, or accumulated retribution can simply be rejected.
- Addressing Liberty, the speaker warns that suppressed forces of violent revenge also remain ready at home.
- The speaker sends a salute to Paris and pledges patient support for a cause belonging to every land.
- Imagined music from France becomes a victorious march that fills the speaker with joy and a desire to sing.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Leaves of Grass, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
In this part
What to notice
The speaker acknowledges the violence rather than separating it from the emergence of freedom. Birth and baptism connect suffering with a new beginning.
Quick check
Where does the speaker send words with love?
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Leaves of Grass, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
Start freeNothing to pay today. USD 0.14 a day in the first year, then USD 0.27 a day.
200,000+ classics to read, hear and hold
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
