Walt Whitman, the renowned American poet, had a deep and lasting connection to the state of New Jersey. Though he was born in New York and spent time in Washington D.C., it was in New Jersey where Whitman found solace, inspiration, and renewal during the later years of his life.
After suffering a debilitating stroke in 1873, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey to live with his brother. It was here, along the banks of the Delaware River and the tributaries of the Big Timber Creek, that Whitman rediscovered his love of the natural world.
“Camden was originally an accident,” Whitman wrote, “But I shall never be sorry I was left over in Camden. It has brought me blessed returns.”
Whitman would frequently venture out to the countryside surrounding Camden, finding peace and rejuvenation in the forests, streams, and meadows. One of his favorite spots was the Stafford family farm in Laurel Springs, where he would bathe in the natural springs, do pull-ups on tree saplings, and revise his seminal work, “Leaves of Grass.”
This connection to the natural landscapes of New Jersey is evident in Whitman’s poetry. In his poem “Song of Myself,” he writes:
“I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars, And the pismire is equally perfect, and a grain of sand, and the egg of the wren, And the tree-toad is a chef-d’œuvre for the highest, And the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven, And the narrowest hinge in my hand puts to scorn all machinery, And the cow crunching with depress’d head surpasses any statue.”
Whitman’s reverence for the natural world, from the smallest blade of grass to the grandest tree, reflects the solace and inspiration he found in the landscapes of New Jersey.
In addition to the forests and fields, Whitman was deeply drawn to the waterways of New Jersey, particularly the Delaware River and its tributaries. He would often take the ferry across the river, not to reach a destination, but simply to spend time on the water.
This love of the sea and its rhythms is evident in poems like “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking,” where Whitman writes:
“Out of the cradle endlessly rocking, Out of the mocking-bird’s throat, the musical shuttle, Out of the Ninth-month midnight, Over the sterile sands, and the fields beyond, where the child, leaving his bed, wander’d alone, bare-headed, barefoot, Down from the shower’d halo, Up from the mystic play of shadows, twining and twisting as if they were alive, Out from the patches of burs and tall-weeds, Invisible in the sunny day, These I, singing in spring, collect for myself.”
The rhythmic, undulating quality of this poem evokes the non stop motion of the waves, a reflection of Whitman’s deep connection to the waterways of New Jersey.
Whitman’s time in New Jersey left an indelible mark on his life and work. The natural landscapes of the state, from the forests of Laurel Springs to the shores of the Delaware River, provided him with the solace, inspiration, and renewal he needed to continue his poetic journey.
Today, many of the places Whitman frequented are preserved as parks and historic sites, allowing visitors to connect with the same natural world that so profoundly influenced one of America’s greatest poets.
