Walt Whitman Poems – 8 of our Favorites from Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman is known as one of the great American poets.

He lived from May 31, 1819 to March 26, 1892. Perhaps his most famous work is the collection, Leaves of Grass. We’ve collected eight of our favorite poems from that collection for you!

You can also find collections from a variety of other poets here, in celebration of National Poetry Month.

Leaves of Grass: Poems by Walt Whitman
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Poets to Come

Walt Whitman

Poets to come! orators, singers, musicians to come!
Not to-day is to justify me and answer what I am for,
But you, a new brood, native, athletic, continental, greater than
before known,
Arouse! for you must justify me.

I myself but write one or two indicative words for the future,
I but advance a moment only to wheel and hurry back in the darkness.

I am a man who, sauntering along without fully stopping, turns a
casual look upon you and then averts his face,
Leaving it to you to prove and define it,
Expecting the main things from you.

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When was Leaves of Grass originally published?

Leaves of Grass was originally published on July 4, 1855 in Brooklyn, New York.

How many poems are in Leaves of Grass?

The first edition of 1855 had only 12 poems, but by the third edition the work had been expanded greatly to 134 poems.

What is the significance of grass in Leaves of Grass?

The image of grass is particularly prominent in the poem 'Song of Myself,' in which Whitman uses it as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life.

UPDATED April 2026