In this post weโll read a wonderful short poem by Walt Whitman. Titled after its first line โA Noiseless Patient Spiderโ, itโs a two-stanza, free verse poem, in which Whitman likens his own soul to the tiny creature. Just as the patient little spider cautiously weaves his web, so does the poetโs soul make connections between things in the outside world.
Below the poem youโll find a vocabulary exercise designed for English language learners, as well as a list of other resources related to Walt Whitman found on this website.
A noiseless patient spider, I markโd where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Markโd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launchโd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them. And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, Till the bridge you will need be formโd, till the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.
VOCABULARY EXERCISE
Find the words in the poem with the following meaning:
- empty, not occupied (adjective)
- thinking, reflecting (present participle)
- capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out, malleable (adjective)
- separate, disconnected (adjective)
- continuously, non-stop (adverb)
- very thin and delicate (adjective)
- taking a risk, daring (present participle)
- a high point of land or rock projecting into the body of water (noun)
- huge, immense (adjective)
- a thin thread, fibre (noun)
To check your answers, please click here.
RELATED RESOURCES
How to interpret a poem (with a little help from Whitman)
‘The First Dandelion’ by Walt Whitman
COVER IMAGE CREDIT
Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash
NOTES
Iโm a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.
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