I do not fully understand this poem. Will someone please respond with their thoughts of what it means. Thank you.

Let's take a look at the poem:

To The Garden The World
by Walt Whitman


To the garden, the world, anew ascending,
Potent mates, daughters, sons, preluding,
The love, the life of their bodies, meaning and being,
Curious, here behold my resurrection, after slumber;
The revolving cycles, in their wide sweep, have brought me again,
Amorous, mature--all beautiful to me--all wondrous;
My limbs, and the quivering fire that ever plays through them, for
reasons, most wondrous;
Existing, I peer and penetrate still,
Content with the present--content with the past,
By my side, or back of me, Eve following,
Or in front, and I following her just the same.

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Some thoughts on the poem:

The mention of "Eve" in the poem makes one think that Whitman is comparing his present life, to life in the garden of Eden. In the first four lines he's saying that he feels renewed after sleeping.

Thinking of young people's bodies he is reminded of why we are here from a biological point of view. We are here to mate and propogate the species.

He's saying that the natural intention of being physically fit and feeling good in the morning is a reminder of our purpose here on earth. Just as Adam and Eve walked together through the garden, that is how he sees each new day.


Les

I would say it's 'the circle of life.'

pam

I thought Walt was a biblical man. The way I took this poem was that God or Jesus was saying that the cycles of sin bring him back, time after time. The ressurection I took as when Jesus died and rose. In the last stanza, I thought it meant that He is there, watching, yet still slipping away. And Eve, I took that as if it meant sin, Eve brought sin into the world, and still tries to, even since Jesus came. Was I wrong all along? I read an article that said Whitman wrote about physical beauty, sex, and love, and that he was also a homosexual. Was that true?

Was that true?


Yes

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Personally, I see the speaker as Adam, especially since Eve is a figure mentioned. I don't see any New Testament references at all, what with the book of Genesis focus. Why can't his resurrection after slumber indicate Eve's creation from his rib?

Existing, I peer and penetrate still

This line seems punny to me.