When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer...

A colleague of mine sent me an email, asking me to interpret this poem for her; she wanted to see if my interpretation matched her own. While I had read it before, it was undoubtedly during some reading of various poems for a college course, and this one never really caught my attention. So, I took a few moments to read, to reflect, and to ponder its meaning...

When I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and
measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much
applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars. [Walt Whitman]

After reading it, I sent the following reply:

"On first look, I’d say that it has something to do with the actual science of the mysteries of the universe taking the pleasure away from the world around us…that the natural world cannot be defined with charts, facts, and figures, but rather is something to be experienced on a mystical and maybe ethereal level.
...
Or…I suppose it could have something to do with life and death. Life being the time when one concerns himself with the world around him and death being the time when he can understand the meaning behind it all..."

Her response, much simpler, was perhaps more profound:

"My interpretation was not to just take the words of the scholar but to “experience” things for yourself."

"Interesting," I thought, "how succinctly she was able to offer virtually the same interpretation." She from a business background, getting to the heart of the matter. Me, from a humanities background, wanting to draw out the experience, sometimes interminably...

Regardless, it ignited a spark, and between battling a splitting headache and talking about the ills of censorship as students gave presentations on various challenged and banned books, I thought about the message in Whitman's short poem...

If, indeed, he is encouraging us to experience the world around us for ourselves....who are we to argue? If, indeed, he is encouraging us to be the shapers of our world...who are we to resist? If, indeed, he is encouraging us to rely, not on others, but on our own interpretations, who are we to ignore him? The man who gave the world, "O Captain, My Captain," "I Hear America Singing," and "Song of Myself" deserves to be heeded when he offers up advice.

So, starting today, I plan to devote more time to the world around me. I see so many students, everyday, with their faces buried in computers, headphones perpetually plugged into their ears...unaware of the beauty that surrounds them. Hm...I remember taking my students outside one spring...their assignment: spend a few minutes in thought...let your senses explore your surroundings...and spend the period writing...no guidance...just write. With a pen in hand, some students jumped at the chance; others, without a keyboard in front of them, seemed lost...unable to focus their thoughts...

Sad. So very sad.

Do not let their fate befall you...get out and explore the world around you and determine for yourself its value. Rely not on the ideas of others to shape your view of the world. It's a beautiful place we live in. Take advantage of it. Unplug for a while and let your senses, your mind, run wild.

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