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.
我听见美国在歌唱
瓦尔特·惠特曼
我听见美国在歌唱，我听见各种各样的歌，
那些机械工人的歌，每个人都唱着他那理所当然地快乐而又雄伟的歌，
木匠一面衡量着他的木板或房梁，一面唱着他的歌，
泥水匠在准备开始工作或离开工作的时候唱着他的歌，
船夫在他的船上唱着属于他的歌，舱面水手在汽船甲板上唱歌，
鞋匠坐在他的凳子上唱歌，做帽子的人站着唱歌，
伐木者的砍，牵引耕畜的孩子在早晨、午休或日落时走在路上唱的歌，
母亲或年轻的妻子在工作时，或者姑娘在缝纫或洗衣裳时甜美地唱着的歌，
每个人都唱着属于他或她而不属于任何其他人的歌，
白天唱着属于白天的歌——晚上这一群体格健壮、友好相处的年轻小伙子，
就放开嗓子唱起他们那雄伟而又悦耳的歌。
赏析：
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 ).
