# As the Greek's Signal Flame explained — Leaves of Grass

> Chapter companion for Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

## What happens

The poem celebrates the eightieth birthday of poet John Greenleaf Whittier by comparing the honor paid to a veteran hero in ancient Greece to the tribute Whitman raises from Mannahatta's shore.

## Themes in this chapter

### Comradeship and Love

The poem expresses deep respect and camaraderie for a fellow poet, honoring his life and service.

### America and Its People

Whitman situates the tribute in Mannahatta (New York), connecting the personal honor to the broader American landscape.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who lifts a signal flame in honor of the old poet.

## Key lines

> As the Greek’s signal flame, by antique records told, Rose from the hill-top, like applause and glory, Welcoming in fame some special veteran, hero, With rosy tinge reddening the land he’d served, So I aloft from Mannahatta’s ship-fringed shore, Lift high a kindled brand for thee, Old Poet.

Just as ancient Greeks lit a beacon on a hill to celebrate a returning hero, I raise a flaming torch from New York's harbor to honor you, aged poet.

_Whitman draws a parallel between classical Greek honor and his own tribute to Whittier._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters/as-the-greek-s-signal-flame
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leaves_of_grass_se/chapters