Both Uses of
countenance
in
Song of Myself
- Two great hulls motionless on the breast of the darkness,
Our vessel riddled and slowly sinking, preparations to pass to the one we have conquer'd,
The captain on the quarter-deck coldly giving his orders through a countenance white as a sheet,
Near by the corpse of the child that serv'd in the cabin,*countenance = face
-
Where the dense-starr'd flag is borne at the head of the regiments,
Approaching Manhattan up by the long-stretching island,
Under Niagara, the cataract falling like a veil over my countenance,
Upon a door-step, upon the horse-block of hard wood outside,
Upon the race-course, or enjoying picnics or jigs or a good game of
base-ball,
At he-festivals, with blackguard gibes, ironical license,
bull-dances, drinking, laughter,
At the cider-mill tasting the sweets of the brown mash, sucking the
juice through a straw,
At apple-peelings wanting kisses for all the red fruit I find,
At musters, beach-parties, friendly bees, huskings, house-raisings;†
Definitions:
-
(1)
(countenance as in: a pleasant countenance) facial expression; or face; or composure or manner
-
(2)
(countenance as in: giving countenance) to tolerate, approve, or show favor or support
-
(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More rarely, in addition to facial expression, countenance can refer to one's posture and other visible features.