Both Uses of
latitude
in
Leaves of Grass
- land what is done in cities as the bells strike midnight together,
In primitive woods the sounds there also sounding, the howl of the
wolf, the scream of the panther, and the hoarse bellow of the elk,
In winter beneath the hard blue ice of Moosehead lake, in summer
visible through the clear waters, the great trout swimming,
In lower latitudes in warmer air in the Carolinas the large black
buzzard floating slowly high beyond the tree tops,
Below, the red cedar festoon'd with tylandria, the pines and
cypresses growing out of the white sand that spreads far and flat,
Rude boats descending the big Pedee, climbing plants, parasites with
color'd flowers and berries enveloping†Chpt 10 *
- 2
Within me latitude widens, longitude lengthens,
Asia, Africa, Europe, are to the east—America is provided for in the west,
Banding the bulge of the earth winds the hot equator,
Curiously north and south turn the axis-ends,
Within me is the longest day, the sun wheels in slanting rings, it
does not set for months,
Stretch'd in due time within me the midnight sun just rises above
the horizon and sinks again,
Within me zones, seas, cataracts, forests, volcanoes, groups,
Malaysia, Polynesia, and the great West Indian islands.†Chpt 6
Definitions:
-
(1)
(latitude as in: latitude and longitude) a measure of north/south (relative to the equator) on the earth -- calculated by using imaginary horizontal circles on the surface of the earth that are parallel to the equator such that 45 degrees north is half way between the equator and the north pole
-
(2)
(latitude as in: given the latitude to) amount of freedom from restriction
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, latitude is used with an analogous meaning in astronomy.
Much more rarely, latitude is can more specifically reference the range of light exposures suitable to film.