Wednesday, June 22, 2022

A Note on Whitman’s poem “Passage to India”

 

                    




                                  

  
Whitman wrote this poem in 1871 and was included in the collection “Leaves of Grass” of 1871, 1872 and 1876 editions and after some revision in 1881 edition. Like John Masefield’s poem “Sea-Fever” and Whitman’s “Song of the open road”, this poem is about a journey to an undefined destination. In “Questions of Travel” (1965), Elizabeth Bishop argues with herself about the pros and cons of travelling.

 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












   

 

 

 

                   

 


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