From
Leaves of Grass, by
Walt Whitman:
I hear
America singing, the varied
carols I hear,
Those of
mechanics, each on singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The
carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or
beam,
The
mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his
boat, the deck-hand singing on the
steamboat deck,
The
shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the
hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the
morning, or an
noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the
mother, or of the young
wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day--at night the party of young fellows,
robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.