Mannahatta

　　by Walt Whitman

　　 I was asking for something specific and perfect for my city，

　　 Whereupon lo！ upsprang the aboriginal name.

　　 Now I see what there is in a name， a word， liquid， sane， unruly， musical， self-sufficient，

　　 I see that the word of my city is that word from of old，

　　 Because I see that word nested in nests of water-bays，superb，

　　 Rich， hemm'd thick all around with sailships and

　　 steamships， an island sixteen miles long， solid-founded，

　　 Numberless crowded streets， high growths of iron， slender，

　　 strong， light， splendidlyuprising toward clear skies，

　　 Tides swift and ample， well-loved by me， toward sundown，

　　 The flowing sea-currents， the little islands， larger adjoining islands， the heights， the villas，

　　 The countless masts， the white shore-steamers， the lighters，

　　 the ferry-boats， the black sea-steamers well-model'd，

　　 The down-town streets， the jobbers' houses of business， the

　　 houses of business of the ship-merchants and money-brokers， the river-streets，

　　 Immigrants arriving， fifteen or twenty thousand in a week，

　　 The carts hauling goods， the manly race of drivers of horses，the brown-faced sailors，

　　 The summer air， the bright sun shining， and the sailing clouds aloft，

　　 The winter snows， the sleigh-bells， the broken ice in the

　　 river， passing along up or down with the flood-tide or ebb-tide，

　　 The mechanics of the city， the masters， well-form'd，

　　 beautiful-faced， looking you straight in the eyes，

　　 Trottoirs throng'd， vehicles， Broadway， the women， the shops and shows，

　　 A million people--manners free and superb--open voices--

　　 hospitality--the most courageous and friendly young men，

　　 City of hurried and sparkling waters！ city of spires and masts！

　　 City nested in bays！ my city！