Whether Whitman and Coleridge might share a lot in common of experiencing God through nature, their stands to Romantic concern and beauty as writers persisted now a day. Coleridge said, ‘The souls did from their bodies fly,– They fled to bliss or woe! And every soul, it passed me by, Like the whizz of my cross-bow!’ [Part IV, 4] consequently, I would like to reach an agreement that God’s existence is the greatest mystery for an individual to observe nature like the scripture concludes; ‘since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them.
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’ (Ro. 1:19-20, NIV) Whitman alike Coleridge has many illustrations of God experience over nature in their writings; nevertheless, the framework which incites me intensely is Whitman’s poem ‘Song of Myself.’ he declares:
‘(A child said What is the grass? Fetching it to me with full hands, how could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he. I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff is woven. Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord, A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropt, Bearing the owner’s name someway in the corners, that we may see and remark, and say Whose? Or I guess the grass is itself a child, the produced babe of the vegetation.)’ [Whitman 6]
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He recorded some choices to possibly response a child’s question, as well as voice it the ‘(handkerchief of the Lord),’ “And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves. Tenderly will I use you curling grass,” [Whitman 6] Here, Whitman allures ‘the grass and he classified it as his awareness because it does not classify it like the natural one so to imply; “This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old mothers,” (Whitman) the symbol of the grass, may perhaps be practical of all God’s creations. Also, we must interpret nature and be mindful of it as we can differentiate the reasons why God created all things in harmony to their beauties. The Book of Psalms says it best; ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech; they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Their voice[b] goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens, God has pitched a tent for the sun.’ (Ps. 19:1-4, NIV) Likewise, that is the reason why I agree with both Whitman and Coleridge. They both are mindful of God present in their ‘poem.’ Also, they also experience God’s nature and His beauty through everything.
References
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” [Part IV, 4]
- Walt Whitman “Song of Myself” [excerpts 6] Ibid; Romans 1:19-20, NIV
