Song of Myself

American poet Walt WhitmanWalt Whitman, stipple engraving on paper by Samuel Hollyer, after Gabriel Harrison, c. 1854–55; this print used as frontispiece to first edition of Leaves of Grass, 1855; in the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Song of Myself, long poem by American poet Walt Whitman, first published in the collection Leaves of Grass in 1855. Considered Whitman’s most important work, and certainly his best-known, the poem revolutionized American verse. It departed from traditional rhyme, meter, and form and introduced frank sexual imagery.

Citation Information
Article Title: Song of Myself
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 27 February 2025
Access Date: July 13, 2025