Leaves of Grass · Chapter
Camerado Close explained
The speaker calls out to a close comrade, celebrating a shared journey of triumph, ecstasy, and undemonstrable joy, urging haste and hand-in-hand progress.
What happens
The speaker calls out to a close comrade, celebrating a shared journey of triumph, ecstasy, and undemonstrable joy, urging haste and hand-in-hand progress.
Themes in this chapter
Comradeship and Love
The chapter is a direct, ecstatic address to a close comrade, emphasizing hand-in-hand unity and shared triumph.
Individuality and Self
The speaker asserts personal triumph and the desire for the camerado to also triumph, blending self with intimate other.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The speaker who triumphs and calls to the camerado.
- Comradeship and Love
The camerado is the intimate companion addressed throughout.
Key passages
“O camerado close! O you and me at last, and us two only.”
Oh intimate companion! Finally it is just you and I, alone together.
The speaker celebrates a long-awaited, exclusive union with a close friend.
“O now I triumph—and you shall also; O hand in hand—O wholesome pleasure—O one more desirer and lover!”
Now I am victorious, and you will be too; hand in hand, pure joy, another seeker and beloved!
Shared victory and mutual desire are expressed through physical and emotional closeness.