I celebrate myself,and sing myself,我贊美我自己,歌頌我自己,
And what I assume you shall assume,我所承擔(dān)的一切,你也必須承擔(dān),
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.因為屬于我的每一個原子,也同樣屬于你. 
I loafe and invite my soul,我閑游,并邀我的靈魂同往,
My tongue,every atom of my blood,form'd from this soil,this air,我的舌頭,我血液中的每個原子,都由這泥土、這空氣所形成
Born here of parents born here from parents the same,and their parents the same,我生于這里,我的父母生于這里,他們的父母也生于這里,
I,now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,我如今三十七歲,在健康良好的狀況下出發(fā),
Hoping to cease not till death.愿至死方休.
I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.我悠閑地俯視一片夏天的草葉.
Creeds and schools in abeyance,教條和學(xué)派先放一旁,
Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are,but never forgotten,讓他們暫且后退,滿足于現(xiàn)狀,但不被遺忘,
I harbor for good or bad,I permit to speak at every hazard,我心懷善與惡,我要不顧一切地述說,
Nature without check with original energy.自然那原始的活力,不受任何的阻擾.
Spirituality and Religion in Whitman's Song of MyselfWhile he takes a great deal of material from Christianity, his conception of religion is much more complicated than the beliefs of one or two faiths mixed together. Whitman seems to draw from the many roots of belief to form his own religion, putting himself as the center.
Whitman brings philosophical significance to the most simple objects and actions, reminding America that every sight, sound, taste, and smell can take on spiritual importance to the fully aware and healthy individual. In the first cantos, he says, "I loafe and invite my soul," creating a dualism between matter and spirit. Throughout the rest of the poem though, he continues this pattern. He constantly uses the images of body and spirit together, bringing us to a better understanding of his true conception of spirituality.
There are many "popular" topics used frequently by authors. Love, religion, and war are some favorites. Two other such topics we typically read about are nature and death. The two can be discussed separately or they can be related to each other. Walt Whitman, a lover of nature, tackled these subjects in "Song of Myself" from Leaves of Grass. "Song of Myself" is a celebration of life and God. Whitman loved everything imaginable about nature. He loved people, animals, and himself. Throughout this extensive poem, Whitman mentions "red" people (Indians), "Negroes", butchers, women, the poor and the rich. He believed that all are good in some way or another and all people are equal.
Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” is, on the most basic descriptive level, a really long poem. Whitman is clearly a poet with a lot to say, or at least with a lot of different ways to say it. He meanders from the micro to the macro, from atoms to the whole earth.
這首詩內(nèi)容及其豐富,它全面地表現(xiàn)了詩人對人生哲學(xué)和宗教的觀點.“自我”是全詩的中心形象.《自我之歌》的背景是整個美國.全篇歌頌的“自我”既是詩人又大于詩人,是具有美國民族特征和民主理想的巨人形象,也是新大陸的開拓者的形象.從這首詩也可以看到以愛默生為代表的超驗主義學(xué)說對詩人的影響. 
惠特曼《自我之歌》一問世,就引起美國文壇廣泛持久的爭論.歷史證明,《自我之歌》并不是所謂神秘主義的啟靈預(yù)言詩,而是一首反映美國時代生活的現(xiàn)實主義偉大詩篇.“自我”展示出多重藝術(shù)形象,熱情地歌頌了美國民主和美國人民.民主、民族主題貫穿全詩.詩歌宏偉的結(jié)構(gòu)、廣闊的歷史畫面、全景式的美國自然風(fēng)貌,使之成為一首享譽世界文壇的美國史詩.
自由詩（Free Verse）：現(xiàn)代詩中常見的體式,長短不同的詩行存在于同一首詩中,不講究押韻與格律,只注重詩歌所表達的意象和傳遞的情感.Walt Whitman的Leaves of Grass中,就采用此格式.
重讀他最有名的《草葉集》等詩篇,再次為一個半世紀(jì)前的這位美國詩人創(chuàng)作的激情之澎湃、風(fēng)格之瑰麗、題材之多元、想像之豐富、觀念之新奇而懾服.記得早年讀《草葉集》時,便被他那大氣豪爽的浪漫主義情緒和長句排比式的詩歌魅力所吸引,不能不覺得郭沫若的《女神》等詩作與之相比難掩矯柔做作之相,惠特曼是名副其實的行吟詩人,郭詩只能算血脈噴張后的收獲.又聯(lián)想到曾經(jīng)紅極一時風(fēng)靡一時的蘇俄馬雅柯夫斯基的“階梯詩”,畢竟是不同世界的產(chǎn)物,馬氏的詩用現(xiàn)在的語匯來形容,很像是“紅色嬉皮士”在聲嘶力竭般嚎叫,在惠特曼奔放、自然、通俗而又生動的歌唱面前,尤顯得乏力而虛張聲勢.
惠特曼的這種詩風(fēng)對美國詩歌的發(fā)展和美國現(xiàn)代主義文學(xué)的形成都有很大的影響.美國現(xiàn)代詩主要可以分為兩大類,一類是以艾略特為代表的古典派,這類詩人推崇玄學(xué)詩歌,認(rèn)為作家最根本的任務(wù)是與人類的過去建立對話.另一類,也是主要的一類,便是以惠特曼為代表的新詩派.這類詩人旨在激發(fā)人們感到世界是嶄新的,空白的,一切都從未接觸過,描寫過,需要我們?nèi)ッ鑼?去創(chuàng)造.這種摒棄一切傳統(tǒng),勇于開拓一個新世界的精神正是惠特曼早在一百多年前首先倡導(dǎo)的.