"The Base of All Metaphysics"

And now gentlemen,
A word I give to remain in your memories and minds,
As base and finale too for all metaphysics.

(So to the students the old professor,
At the close of his crowded course.)

Having studied the new and antique, the Greek and Germanic systems,
Kant having studied and stated, Fichte and Schelling and Hegel,
Stated the lore of Plato, and Socrates greater than Plato,
And greater than Socrates sought and stated, Christ divine having
studied long,
I see reminiscent to-day those Greek and Germanic systems,
See the philosophies all, Christian churches and tenets see,
Yet underneath Socrates clearly see, and underneath Christ the divine
I see,
The dear love of man for his comrade, the attraction of friend to
friend,
Of the well-married husband and wife, of children and parents,
Of city for city and land for land.


Analysis:

This poem is describing a lesson, in which a professor is talking to his students about the basis of all metaphysics (1st stanza). In the second stanza, he is doing a resume of what students have studied, such as the Greek and Germanic systems, Kant, Plato, Socrates, Christ. This stanza can be further divided into two small parts. In the first part, Whitman is just listing what the students have studied, while in the second part the poet is inserting some personal comments: Whitman says that he can clearly see underneath Socrates (metaphor meaning that he can comprehend Socrates’ philosophy and ideas) or that he sees divine underneath Christ (allusion to Christina religion and the Bible). The poet also states that, through these two important figures, he can see “love for his comrade” (l.15) and “attraction of friend to friend” (l.15). These two phrases are allusions to Socrates’ friendship with Plato and the love Jesus had for Judah, even though he betrayed him. These are the poet’s personal views. Themes are love and peace, expressed in the last two lines of the poem which call for love in the family and peace “between the lands”. These are universal statements that are valid for everyone of us; but we must search for them.

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