15 pages • 30 minutes read
When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Lamia” by John Keats (1820)
John Keats’ Lamia contains some of his most famous and celebrated lines, in which the poem’s speaker laments the power of scientific inquiry to demystify nature by “unweav[ing] the rainbow” and robbing nature of her mysteries (“Do not all charms fly / At the mere touch of cold philosophy?”). This poem will be of interest to any reader wishing to compare Whitman’s ambivalence towards the scientific approach in “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer” to Keats’ own sentimental approach to the natural world.
“The World is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth (1802)
A lyric poem by one of the most famous English Romantics, William Wordsworth, in which the poem’s speaker demonstrates mistrust towards the modern industrialized world and expresses a longing for the older and more nature-focused eras of the past.
“On the Beach at Night Alone” by Walt Whitman (1856)
In this poem, the speaker is once again on a solitary night walk admiring the night sky. As he does so, he reflects upon the vastness of the universe and human history, musing upon the ways in which all people and elements are permanently and mysteriously intertwined.
“The First Dandelion” by Walt Whitman (1891)
A short poem representative of Whitman’s characteristic love for the natural world in which he celebrates the simple beauties of a dandelion and the advent of springtime that it represents.
Further Literary Resources
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman Online
A free and complete PDF of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass collection, containing many of his most famous poems on themes of nature, love, and individuality. The Walt Whitman website features a wealth of free material to read as well as a short Biography and Quotations page.
“Walt Whitman (1819-1892)” by Academy of American Poets
The biographical page for Whitman by the Academy of American Poets. The page also features links to the texts of many of Whitman’s poems complete with publication dates.
“Walt Whitman and the Celebration of Nature” by Claire Sbardella (2017)
A short and accessible article, in which an academic at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science reflects on Whitman’s love of nature in his poetry through an analysis of the poem “Song of Myself.”
“Celebrating Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass” by NPR (2005)
A 2005 NPR feature discussing the history and literary legacy of Whitman’s most famous collection, Leaves of Grass, which Whitman first self-published in 1855. This feature was a 150th celebration of the collection’s initial publication and features discussion with three different Whitman experts.
“Whitman as a Poet of Nature” by Norman Foerster (1916)
The full PDF of an article originally published in 1916, in which the author reflects upon Whitman’s style and the role of nature in his work. It features commentary on Leaves of Grass in particular. The article will be of interest to readers wishing to understand the reception and interpretation of Whitman’s work in the early 20th century, barely 25 years after Whitman’s death.
Listen to Poem
An audio recording of “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”, created and hosted by the Poetry Foundation. The recording is clear and nicely paced.
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By Walt Whitman
