‘Mannahatta’ by Walt Whitman is a stunning poem that marvels over a city deeply admired by the poet, encompassing all the wondrous elements of its populace.
Whitman's poem unfolds as an ode to the city of Manhattan, which he renames "Mannahatta" using the pre-colonial and indigenous name for the island. This celebration of the city focuses on both the landscape (natural and urban) as well as the very people who lived and worked there in his lifetime. Whitman's excited and exalting voice crescendoes throughout as they attempt to wrangle all the many scenes that make up the city.
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,