When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer

When I heard the Learn's Astronomer

Walt Whitman

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;	5
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.

I enjoy reading Walt Whitman’s "When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer" for the mere feeling it brings me. I haven’t tried to read too far deep into it, fearing that the meaning will not satisfy me, or it will ruin my emotional response. So. . . here goes nothing. The poem seems to be from the point of view of a student, or “lesser” who finds respect in the learn’d astronomer. Through mathematical proofs and displayed data I see that the astronomer is a man in search of answers. However, it is not theoretical or philosophical truths this man searches for. These are physical answers. The astronomer feels the need to share this knowledge and so the speaker is “shown” by the astronomer, graphs that are supposed to prove a point. I’m not sure how I feel about this. The cynic inside of me always feels uneasy at the thought that the only way to learn is to accept the reality from someone else. The speaker is at the complete mercy of the astronomer. While it’s possible that what the astronomer speaks is true, it’s impossible to know for sure, as all knowledge we gain from the world is passed down by those who have experienced it longer. Those who are already shaped by it, and are, even if unintentionally, paired with bias because of it. Still, the astronomer is met with “applause”, showing that despite the possibility that these may be lies, others have joined and collectively decided to agree that this is the truth they are wiling to give their lives over for. This appears to be too much for the speaker, as he is forced to leave. The feeling that he experiences is “unaccountable”. An ironic word, as the speaker is in this environment where everything can be explained and accounted for, the speaker still finds doubt and an inability to understand his reality. Perhaps it’s a cyclical process, as it leaves the speaker “tired and sick”. He ventures out alone. Oh no. See at the beginning of this poem, I found comfort in the message it sent to science, but now the phrase “wandering off by myself” reminds of the Allegory of the Cave. Even though reality is the majority’s perception, that does not mean it is correct. In the Allegory of the Cave, the wall shadows are the reality for most of the prisoners and yet they are incorrect and ignorant of the truth. Only one fortunate soul is able to wander away from the accepted reality and find true enlightenment. Even if the next step is enlightenment, that doesn’t seem to be the focus for the rest of the poem. The speaker becomes sick of overanalyzing and realizes how impossible it is to entirely understand the universe, and so he settles for enjoying nature for what it is - Beauty without reason or purpose. He walks into the “mystical” or inexplicable night-air, and stares that the stars. While he sits in silence, perhaps a nihilistic argument, or disconnection from God, the speaker is still able to appreciate the perfect silence of the stars. There’s no attempt to explain them, as he doesn’t feel pressured to accept another’s idea of reality, the speaker just enjoys the existence of figures in the sky that are far greater than himself. So going into the poem, I just liked the neat language of the charts, columns, and diagrams, and the space imagery that ends in fulfillment. It gave me trust in science. Now, I’m left with with a minor existential crisis. If there’s a message that is to be pulled from the poem, is seems to be along these lines: It’s a waste of time to try and explain the environment around you. Time wasted that could be spent enjoying its existence.