Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
- He's tired of moping around and being in the dumps. Too many thoughts about amputation and imprisonment threaten to rob him of his optimism.
- He has been stunned, but now he snaps out of it and regains his bold, aggressive posture, telling us to "stand back!"
- He has almost committed some "usual mistake," which seems to have something to do with complaining and dwelling on his own problems.
- He almost forgot about everyone else's problems, the people who are mocked and crucified beside him. He can't treat his own sufferings any differently.
- He compares himself to Jesus Christ rising from his tomb after crucifixion.
- And we're back in business. The old, confident Walt is back, and he continues his journey through the United States, this time on foot.
- He salutes the students ("eleves") of the world, but says he is both in front of and behind them. (The word, élève is French for "student.")