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WHEN I heard the learnd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the
lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wanderd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Lookd up in perfect silence at the stars.
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I completely agree that the knowledge you can gain from an intellectual can make you forget to learn from a sensual aspect and admire the beauty but I do also believe that one such as Whitman can get too caught up in the holistic experience and forget to return to the other aspect. How can you expect to call yourself more knowledgable than the proffesor if all you do is daydream and look at the stars. Life requires a balance in all aspects. Whitman was very charismatic and good in the english language but how can one say that they are more intelligent than the astronomer just because they admire the stars. We might not see the astronomer during his time of meditation.
Christopher29 from United States