This poem, titled "When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer," by Walt Whitman, explores the difference between experiencing something firsthand and experiencing it through academic knowledge.
The poem starts with the speaker attending a lecture by a knowledgeable astronomer. The speaker describes the proofs, figures, charts, and diagrams presented in the lecture and the applause received by the astronomer. However, instead of being fascinated or engaged, the speaker becomes "tired and sick" with the information overload and the sterile environment of the lecture room.
Feeling restless and unsatisfied, the speaker decides to leave the lecture and goes outside into the night air. In the silence and mystique of the night, the speaker looks up at the stars, finding awe and wonder in their beauty. This contrast between the dry presentation of facts and the direct experience of nature highlights the limitations of knowledge and the importance of engaging with the world on a more personal and intuitive level.
The poem suggests that sometimes academic knowledge and intellectual explanations can overshadow the true enchantment and appreciation of nature. It encourages readers to seek a more direct and personal connection with the world around them, rather than relying solely on detached and mechanical understanding.
What does this poem mean
When I heard the learn'd astronomer,
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them, When I sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick,
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars
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