In this poem the poet commemorates the modern
scientific marvels that enabled mankind to communicate and travel without any
difficulty. In 1869 the laying of the American Transcontinental Railroad
connected the country from East to West.
Six months later the Suez Canal was opened to join the Mediterranean Sea
with the Red Sea to facilitate transportation and trade between Europe and Asia
without navigating around Africa. Whitman saw the opening of the Suez Canal as
both a reason for celebrating and also as an opportunity to connect with
spiritual traditions of the faraway lands. This poem was divided into nine sections of
varying lengths. The poet celebrates the scientific achievements that made the
Canal possible and also the esoteric wisdom that could imagine such
possibilities and the new era of worldliness and peace that might come of it. Inspired by this poem E.M.Forster wrote his
novel “A Passage to India” in 1924.
This poem
describes an imaginary journey that the speaker wants to take into fabled
India. This poem begins with the description of the new marvels of the modern
world- the Suez Canal and the great American Railway and Transatlantic cable.
He looks upon India as a mysterious and fabled place that rejuvenates his soul.
He will return to the birthplace of mankind and feel renewed for the rest of
his life. Whitman celebrates the scientific achievements that made the Suez
Canal possible and the new era of worldliness and peace that might come of it.
He attributes the canal to both science (proud truths of the world) and myth
(fables of the old). Though it is a feat of engineering, it is also a triumph
of the human imagination. The facts of modern science are not enough to explain
the project’s completion. He expresses admiration for both “proud truths of
science” and “fables of the eld” and “far darting beams of the spirit”, “deep
diving bibles and legends” and “the daring plots of the poets.” He extends
praise to Eastern and African Bibles, religious places and temples as much as
the Western ones. In his view every perspective is worth celebrating and he
wishes to convey a sense of inclusiveness everywhere.
To him India
is a metaphor for the larger possibilities that opens up humanity to expand and
explore the mysteries of divinity and Nature. He is interested in the future as
well as in the past. He also speaks about the value of myths and fables which
are as important as science. He thinks that modern inventions and technology
will help in bringing mankind together and foster a sense of brotherhood and
unity. There will be a unity between nature and man. There has to be “a
marriage of continents, climates and oceans.”
The passage
to India is not an easy one. Many have died on the way. But it will not deter
him from undertaking the voyage. The pull of exploration is like a current
running through human race and he is a part of it and he wants to feel
connectivity of the earth. The speaker also takes time to mourn the death of
the downfall of men like Columbus who ended their lives unhappily. He imagines
that he is on this important journey with his soul and the two of them are
circumnavigating the earth together. While the voyage might seem to be
terrifying, he is protected by God.
In the first section the poet highlights the achievements of the present time. At the same time, he admires the myths and fables and the daring plots of the ancient poets. “For what is the present after all but a growth out of the past?”
In the second section the poet celebrates the past. It is described as the teeming gulf and the infinite greatness. The poet praises the ancient fables, the daring plots of the poets, myths, temples and dazzling towers burnished with gold. Behind these present and past wonders, the poet sees God’s purpose in bringing together different races together. The poet praises the engineers, architects and voyagers who made these technological marvels a reality. He worships them for their works and for the way in which they have helped to complete God’s plan.
In the third
section he describes the activities and technological exploration in digging
the Suez Canal, launching of steam ships, dredging machines and laying of
Transcontinental Rail Road in connecting “the Eastern to the Western Sea” and
“the road between Europe and Asia”. The oceans are meant to be crossed and the
distant lands to be brought nearer. He describes the opening of the Suez Canal
and the Pacific Road (which joins Union Pacific and Central Pacific Rail Road) and
the Transatlantic Cable which connects various countries for transportation and
communication. In this context, he remembers the tragic death of Columbus, the
sailor from Geneva, who dreamt of exploring new lands. The falsehoods talked
about him by others led to his poverty, dejection and death.
In the fourth section he describes the journey
on the Suez Canal on a steamship. From deck he can see Egypt and the workmen
who are still building the gigantic machines that were used to dredge the
canal. In another tableau he describes the Pacific Railroad and the locomotives
crossing the deserts, meadows, plains and farms and mountains in the distance. He remembers the valiant adventures of
voyagers like Vasco De Gama who discovered new lands and gave knowledge about
those new territories. He praises him as the rondure (star) of the world who
accomplished a noble purpose. He wants all types of people to intermingle,
marry and become neighbours.
In the fifth
section the speaker tells exploration runs like a rivulet through time. It
sinks and rises but it is always there. Knowledge will be gained, new lands
found and new nations born as America was. He praises scientists, inventors, explorer
and poets who tried to satisfy the human thirst for knowledge and justify the
divine purpose of bringing people together. “Nature and man shall be disjoined
and diffused no more”/ “The true son of God shall absolutely fuse them.”
In the sixth section he elaborates his
imaginary journey through world from Europe to Asia and Africa”. “Year of the
purpose accomplished/ Year of the marriage of continents and oceans”. He refers
to the digging of the Suez Canal (1869) and laying of Transatlantic Undersea Cable
(1866) and construction of Transcontinental Railway Line(1869) which changed
the means of communication and transport. He refers to ancient civilizations of
Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, China and India and exploits of ancient historical
leaders like Alexander, Tamerlane, Aurangzeb and travellers like Marco Polo and
Columbus. The poet sees the East as a return to “the soothing cradle of man”
where everything began. There are doubts to be solved and blanks to be filled
and men will never rest.
In the seventh section he addresses his soul to prepare for exploring the East, the land of wisdom’s. In the seventh section he is hoping to see not only lands but also a clear freshness of mind. He wants to mellow his young mind with “the realms of budding bibles”. It is a voyage of the mind seeking to return where it came from” back to wisdom’s birth.”
In the eighth section he reiterates his wish
to sail on “trackless seas” where he and others can sing of their “song of
God.” While travelling the sailors will laugh and kiss while others left on the
shore will be stuck in “sin, remorse and humiliation.” Exploration is ingrained
in humankind. He addresses the nations who lost that zest for exploration. He
calls them “sad shades”. “The sunset of splendour of chivalry declining”.
During his voyage he will gain wisdom and
pleasure from his soul and contemplate on “Time, space and death.” His spirit
will search for God (the Comrade perfect who is the motive of this whole
universe and vast space. He identifies his soul greater than stars and suns and
encourages his soul to cross the unknown seas and melt in the arms of the Elder
Brother (God) with love and friendship. His spirit will be bathed in God and
his soul will be lifted to God-like proportions. He imagines a time in the future
that after his travels, he will be able to help others. He will be filled with
friendship like an elder brother. that after his travels.
In the ninth section he questions his
readiness to undertake such a voyage. He is pining for the danger that awaits
on new lands and on waters in which many were unable to pass. He reiterates the
emotional and spiritual reasons for his travelling to India. It is a passage to
more than India. He wishes to explore the mysteries of unknown lands, seas,
creeks, rivers, woods and mountains, stars, sun and moon. He has stood long
enough like a tree in a static state. He is too much engaged in earthly
activities. “Have we not grovelled here long enough, eating and drinking like
mere brutes?” It is time to forget about the books and to sail forth. Like the
explorers of the olden times, he is bound for places that have never been
visited. No matter how far they go, the voyage will be safe as it is conducted
on the seas of God.
Thus, Whitman here blends transcendentalism
with realistic elements. His journey is not mere a physical journey. It is a
symbolic spiritual journey to India which represents esoteric knowledge,
mythical fables, and philosophical lore that helps in bringing mankind
together. He also appreciates the advancement in technology which serves the
same purpose for bringing unity and brotherhood.
In this poem
Whitman used long rhythmic, unmetered and unrhymed lines with the cadence of
natural speech. It is communicated with loftiness and reverence. Each line ends
with an exclamation mark to build up excitement and to express joy. He used
repetition for emphasis. Just as the Suez Canal links the distant parts of the
world, Whitman’s poem links religions and modern technology and engineering. In
doing so he encourages us to see a bright future for mankind. He uses diction
which includes foreign words and archaic vocabulary here and there to indicate
that he transcends the barriers of time and space. “O vast Rondure, swimming in
space.” (Rondure means spherical or round in shape). “But myths and tables of
eld, Asia’s and Africa’s fables” (Eld, an archaism for old). “Eclaircise the
myths Asiatic, the primitive fables”. (Eclaircise means reveal obscure facts).
According to David Reynolds, “Passage to India” can be seen as a questioning of the materialistic values of the gilded age. Whitman in his later poems extolled the virtues of industry and workforce though he was not entirely comfortable with America’s growing materialism. According to Stanley Coffman, Whitman uses the images of passage to connect the past with the present, the present with the future and project a metamorphosis from earthly experience to that of spiritual level. Betsey Erkkila sees the repudiation of materialistic values and an aspiring towards spiritual transcendence. According to her Whitman found his ideal merger of the explorer of the physical world and the religious prophet in the figure of Columbus. “The poet becomes the spiritual heir of Columbus. As the poet-explorer, he could praise both individualism and national unity.”
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22nd June, 2022 Somaseshu Gutala
