“Among the Multitude” by Walt Whitman

June 25, 2012 | Miscellania

The poem of the week is “Among the Multitude” by Walt Whitman. Whitman certainly has a gift with longer poems, but I think “Among the Multitude” shows his true genius. It is a short poem, only seven lines total, but he manages to pack in so much emotion and meaning into that brief space. This he manages to accomplish without the poem feeling muddled at all; it is clear, concise, and powerful.

“Among the Multitude” by Walt Whitman

Among the men and women the multitude,
I perceive one picking me out by secret and divine signs,
Acknowledging none else, not parent, wife, husband, brother, child, any nearer than I am,
Some are baffled, but that one is not–that one knows me.
Ah lover and perfect equal,
I meant that you should discover me so by faint indirections,
And I when I meet you mean to discover you by the like in you.






  • Weathk

    ok so i dont mean to sound stupid but here i am having to pick 3 poems written to write about and of the three this one i like best. But what does it mean?? for some reason it caught my attention the most, and i cant seem to make any sence of it. please help!!