A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman

A noiseless, patient spider,
I marked, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Marked how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launched forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them—ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you, O my Soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing,—seeking the spheres, to connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be formed—till the ductile anchor hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my Soul.



     I believe we all have had this experience, when we feel alone in a crowded room, and we throw out “lines” to other people, hoping the lines will stick and then the gap will be bridged. This experience is often repeated throughout life to all relationships. Weather the person is an intra- or extra-vert, the desire for a deep, lasting, wholesome friendship is constantly sought after. Whitman creates a wonderful metaphor, comparing the spider casting its gossamer silks into the air, hoping they will connect, to the relationships people strive to have. (I find that a greater sense of beauty is added in this because spider silk is one of the strongest substances known compared to it’s size.)

     The pattern that Whitman uses is a great way to compare these two ideas and meld them into one. Bothe verses are five lines long, and each line is comparatively similar, except the last, when the first verse’s last line is about the spider releasing its thread constantly, and the last verse’s last line is about the hope that it will catch on something or someone.