Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
Encyclopedia
"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" is a poem by Walt Whitman
, and is part of his collection Leaves of Grass
. It describes the ferry trip across the East River
from Manhattan
to Brooklyn
at the exact location that was to become the Brooklyn Bridge
.
The poem specifically addresses future readers who will look back on it, and the ferry ride, years hence. In the first stance, Whitman writes:
A portion of the poem is used as an inscription at the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn Heights
, where the ferry landed.
.
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
, and is part of his collection Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
. It describes the ferry trip across the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
at the exact location that was to become the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
.
The poem specifically addresses future readers who will look back on it, and the ferry ride, years hence. In the first stance, Whitman writes:
And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence are more to me, and more in my meditations, than you might suppose.
A portion of the poem is used as an inscription at the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights is a culturally diverse neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Originally referred to as 'Brooklyn Village', it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834. As of 2000, Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,594 people. The neighborhood is part of...
, where the ferry landed.
External links
Text of Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is available at WikiSourceWikisource
Wikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
.