Content:
A draft of a poem entitled "A starry midnight," published as "A Clear Midnight" in 1881. At the
top is a note in blue pencil that reads "? for end of poems"
Content:
Draft and trial lines probably written around 1880. These lines are directly related to "A Clear Midnight," first published in
Leaves of Grass
in 1881. The lines that appear in this manuscript also were published posthumously as "Supplement Hours," a poem that formed part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard). The first line begins "Sane, easy, homely."
Whitman Archive Title: Notes where wild bees flitting hum
Content:
This manuscript was likely written around 1880 as Whitman was drafting the poem "A Clear Midnight," first published in
Leaves of Grass
in 1881. The manuscript consists of two drafts of lines unpublished in Whitman's life, but which appeared in other manuscript drafts with lines that were published as "A Clear Midnight." The lines that appear in this manuscript were published posthumously as part of a poem titled "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard).
Content:
The thirty-first surface in this manuscript notebook contains a note "for
Preface" about "gossiping in the candle light" that resonates with the
beginning of the second paragraph of the article "My Book and I," published in the
Lippincott's Monthly Magazine
in January 1887. This same passage also appeared one year later
in "A Backward Glance O'er Travel'd
Roads," published within
November
Boughs
(1888) and later included in
Leaves of
Grass
(1891-1892). The manuscript also contains a series of trial titles
that Whitman was possibly considering when preparing
Specimen Days & Collect
(1882-1883). The thirty-fifth leaf
contains a draft for a poem, including the deleted line "Away from houses,
reading, art" that resembles the second line in the poem "A Clear Midnight," published in
Leaves of
Grass
(1881-1882) and retained thereafter.
Content:
Draft and trial lines of a poem unpublished in Whitman's lifetime, though published posthumously as "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard). The first line begins "The lesson done."
Content:
Draft and trial lines of a poem unpublished in Whitman's lifetime, though published posthumously as "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard). The subtitle reads "Notes by a half-paralytic."
Whitman Archive Title: Latter-Time Hours of a half-Paralytic
Content:
Draft and trial lines of a poem unpublished in Whitman's lifetime, though published posthumously as "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard).
Content:
Draft and trial lines of a poem unpublished in Whitman's lifetime, though published posthumously as "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard).
Whitman Archive Title: ?Some Hours of a half Paralytic
Content:
Draft and trial lines of a poem unpublished in Whitman's lifetime, though published posthumously as "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard).
Whitman Archive Title: [still call myself a Half-Paralytic]
Content:
Draft lines of the poem, "A Clear Midnight," which appeared slightly revised in the 1881–1882 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. This manuscript also includes lines that were used in
Specimen Days & Collect
, see the description for ucb.00011 in this finding aid.
Content:
A draft of "A Clear
Midnight," written on the back of a letter from "A.
Williams" dated December 2, 1880. The poem was first published in 1881.
Content:
Draft and trial lines of a poem unpublished in Whitman's lifetime, though published posthumously as "Supplement Hours." The poem was part of a cluster entitled "Old Age Echoes," included in an edition of
Leaves of Grass
compiled by Whitman's literary executors and published in 1897 (Boston: Small, Maynard). On the verso is a prose manuscript recalling Whitman's years in Washington during and after the Civil War. The prose manuscript has no known relationship to his published work.
