Here is a video of Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking, by the American Bard. Another great homage to our beloved Whitman (It has two parts; part 2 will appear at the end of part 1).

A video from the American Experience, featuring Chris Cooper reading the last lines of Song of Myself. More information at the American Experience website.

This is a wonderful eight minute movie with a selection of poems from Leaves of Grass. Sit back and enjoy! Photographs by Chris Highland and music by Pete Seeger and Molly’s Revenge.

This is amazing.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez likes poetry, and loves Whitman. He himself said that. Watch this:

I have found another poem animation of Whitman by Jim Clark.

So I have chosen to embed it here along with the poem.

The Base of All Metaphysics

And now gentlemen,
A word I give to remain in your memories and minds,
As base and finalè too for all metaphysics.
(So to the students the old professor,
At the close of his crowded course.)

Having studied the new and antique, the Greek and Germanic systems,
Kant having studied and stated, Fichte and Schelling and Hegel,
Stated the lore of Plato, and Socrates greater than Plato,
And greater than Socrates sought and stated, Christ divine having studied long,
I see reminiscent to-day those Greek and Germanic systems,
See the philosophies all, Christian churches and tenets see,
Yet underneath Socrates clearly see, and underneath Christ the divine I see,
The dear love of man for his comrade, the attraction of friend to friend,
Of the well-married husband and wife, of children and parents,
Of city for city and land for land.
***

And yet another animation movie, this time of Robert Frost, reading perhaps his most famous poem. It is about choosing. When we choose something, it is because we know what we are going to get from that choice, meanwhile knowing also what we are going to lose. That’s the way it is, as the saying goes: we cannot have the cake and eat it too!

Well, I could not help inserting here this animation movie of Emily Dickinson readind “I died for beauty…” by Jim Clark. She deserves it! Especially to be near Whitman, whom she despised.

This is the scene in which the students say goodbye to their teacher, Mr. Keating, played by Robin Williams, who is leaving. Their way to say goodbye is by saying “Oh Captain, My Captain” and standing on their desks. I am proud to remember that once in High School all my students stood on their desks to read their poems out loud! And I too can say, Thank you, Mr. Keating! As I would say Thank You to Whitman!

Here is an animation movie by Jim Clark I have found on Youtube with Whitman reading the poem “O Captain! My Captain!”: