Page:Leaves of Grass (1860).djvu/335

49.Allons! out of the dark confinement!
It is useless to protest —I know all, and expose it.

50.Behold, through you as bad as the rest,
Through the laughter, dancing, dining, supping, of
people,
Inside of dresses and ornaments, inside of those
washed and trimmed faces,
Behold a secret silent loathing and despair.

51.No husband, no wife, no friend, no lover, so trusted
as to hear the confession,
Another self, a duplicate of every one, skulking
and hiding it goes, open and above board it
goes,
Formless and wordless through the streets of the
cities, polite and bland in the parlors,
In the cars of rail-roads, in steam-boats, in the
public assembly,
Home to the houses of men and women, among their
families, at the table, in the bed-room, everywhere.
Smartly attired, countenance smiling, form upright,
death under the breast-bones, hell under the
skull-bones.
Under the broadcloth and gloves, under the ribbons
and artificial flowers,
Keeping fair with the customs, speaking not a syllable
of itself,
Speaking of anything else, but never of itself.

52.Allons! Through struggles and wars!
The goal that was named cannot be countermanded.