Martí and Darío

Walt Whitman’s poetry left an incredible legacy with its innovative form and language and its focus on the spirit of democracy: “Whitman ushered in a whole new era in American poetry” (Puchner 646). He was an important influence in the literary world in America, as were fellow poets José Martí and Rubén Darío, in their respective countries.

Cuban writer, José Martí also revolutionized poetry in his country. His poem,  “I Am an Honest Man” is similar to Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself in that both speakers declare they represent the natural world. Walt Whitman writes “My tongue, every atom of my blood, formed from this soil, this air” (ln. 6). Similarly, Martí expresses similar sentiment, when he declares, “I am a mountain” (8). Both speakers celebrate nature and individuality.

Likewise, both poets remind the reader that they speak for all people. Whitman writes, “And what I assume you shall assume / For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you” (2-3). Just as Whitman represents humankind, so does Martí: “I come from everywhere / And I am going toward everywhere” (6-7). Both men show their democratic notions by speaking for many.

Another poet who shares comparisons to Whitman is Rubén Darío, who “revolutionized Spanish American poetry” (Puchner 689). In his poem “Blazon,” Darío introduces a beautiful snow-white swan. As the poem describes the swan’s loveliness with descriptive language, Darío hints at sexuality and eroticism.

He is the swan of divine origin

Whose kiss mounted through fields

Of silk to the rosy peaks

Of Leda’s sweet hills. (Darío 9-12)

Since Darío alludes to Leda, a nymph Zeus raped in Greek mythology, it seems Darío finds beauty in nature, while using a suggestive allusion.

Comparably, in Song of Myself, Whitman uses sensuous language to display his pleasure for the world around him: “Press close bare-bosomed night” (Section 21 ln. 14) and “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth! (Section 21 ln. 17). Both poets seem to delight in nature and the provocative.

All three poets, Whitman, Martí, and Darío were talented and influential poets. Whether their themes focused on nature, democracy, or the seductive, their poetry revolutionized the literary world.

Works Cited

Darío, Rubén. “Blazon.” Trans. Lysander Kemp. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner et al. Shorter 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 692-693. Print.

Martí, José. “I Am an Honest Man.” Trans. Aviva Chomsky. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner et al. Shorter 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 681-682. Print.

Puchner, Martin, Gen ed. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Shorter Third ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print.

Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner et al. Shorter 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 648-653. Print.