Let’s read and listen to the poem “We two boys who cling tight” by Walt Whitman
The poem Noi due ragazzi che stretti ci annglamo is a composition by Walt Whitman, taken from the collection Calamus, a section of his most famous work, Leaves of Grass.
Analysis and meaning
This poem celebrates the love between two young men, described in terms of passion and total fusion. Whitman uses powerful images and body language to express an intense and deep bond, both physical and spiritual. The verb we cling evokes a strong and inextricable embrace, symbolising a union that transcends all separation.
The poem is part of the broader theme of Calamus, which explores comradely love and emotional ties between men, at a time when such feelings were not often openly expressed in literature. Whitman, with his freestyle and his democratic vision of love, breaks conventions and celebrates the beauty of human contact without filters or repression.
Main themes
Love and desire – The embrace is a symbol of a deep and inalienable feeling.
Fusion and union – The bond between the two boys is so strong that they seem like a single entity.
Freedom of expression – Whitman challenges the norms of his time by speaking openly of often silenced feelings.
English version
We two boys together clinging,
One the other never leaving,
Up and down the roads going, North and South excursions
making,
Power enjoying, elbows stretching, fingers clutching,
Arm’d and fearless, eating, drinking, sleeping, loving,
No law less than ourselves owning, sailing, soldiering, thieving,
threatening,
Misers, menials, priests alarming, air breathing, water drinking, on
the turf or the sea-beach dancing,
Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking, feebleness chasing,
Fulfilling our foray.
Ascoltiamo insieme
