I Hear America Singing

Walt Whitman

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,

Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,

The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,

The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,

The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-hand singing on the steamboat deck,

The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,

The woodcutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morn-ing, or at noon intermission or at sundown,

The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,

Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,

The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,

Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

我聽見美國在歌唱

瓦爾特·惠特曼

我聽見美國在歌唱，我聽見各種各樣的歌，

那些機械工人的歌，每個人都唱著他那理所當然地快樂而又雄偉的歌，

木匠一面衡量著他的木板或房梁，一面唱著他的歌，

泥水匠在準備開始工作或離開工作的時候唱著他的歌，

船夫在他的船上唱著屬于他的歌，艙面水手在汽船甲板上唱歌，

鞋匠坐在他的凳子上唱歌，做帽子的人站著唱歌，

伐木者的砍，牽引耕畜的孩子在早晨、午休或日落時走在路上唱的歌，

母親或年輕的妻子在工作時，或者姑娘在縫紉或洗衣裳時甜美地唱著的歌，

每個人都唱著屬于他或她而不屬于任何其他人的歌，

白天唱著屬于白天的歌——晚上這一群體格健壯、友好相處的年輕小伙子，

就放開嗓子唱起他們那雄偉而又悅耳的歌。

賞析：

In the poem "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, the reader envisions a country of people working for the greater good of mankind. These people come together as part of the whole society developing industry and production. Each person has a different occupation, but each job is important to the bigger picture. The bigger picture and theme being that of a country in which everyone is working together to create a successful and harmonious civilization.

Beyond the literal, he means that all of the people of America working in their different occupations come and work together for the whole of the country. These people are creating and developing the industry of America. To Whitman, this is like everyone is singing together in a beautiful song.

Whitman’s attitude toward Americans is uplifting and positive. He exalts Americans and the hard labor they perform and sees it as a promising land where each person is unique, but united "Each singing what belongs to [her] and to none else" ( line 8). Whitman praises the work values and ethics of the American people. He depicts a country of people who work hard, yet through the hard work, they enjoy the fruits of their labors "The day what belongs to the day At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly" ( line 9 ).