A Whitman Sampler

Literature, a wise man once remarked, is news that stays news. Walt Whitman, perhaps our greatest poet, is still news, speaking across the centuries, seeming never to go out of style. Bill Clinton famously wooed Monica with a gift of Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Now you can sample from the works of the great bard in this online archive of his work, which contains digital images of his original manuscripts. The site recently was on the receiving end of a half-million-dollar grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. That should help keep the timeless poet relevant for at least another century.