No Labor-Saving Machine
by Walt Whitman
· 1871
Published 01/07/1871
NO labor-saving machine,
Nor discovery have I made;
Nor will I be able to leave behind me any wealthy be-questbequest to found a hospital or library,
Nor reminiscence of any deed of courage, for America,
Nor literary success, nor intellect—nor book for the book-shelf;
Only a few carols, vibrating through the air, I leave,
For comrades and lovers.