Bardic Symbols. A poem. By Walt Whitman. Library of Congress. April 1860 Issue. Share. Save. I. Elemental drifts! Oh, I wish I could impress others as you and the waves have just been impressing me!

Whitman’s next contact with The Atlantic resulted in the publication of “Bardic Symbols” (later reprinted under the title “As I Ebb’d With the Ocean of Life”) in 1860—though James ...