Content:
This manuscript entitled "Inscription" appears to be a revision of other "Inscriptions" Whitman gathered in a notebook, along with prose drafts for a never-finished introduction to
Leaves of Grass,
and attached to his copy of the 1855 paper-bound edition. (The entire collection of draft "inscription" and introductory material is currently housed at the New York Public Library.) In the 1867
Leaves of Grass
Whitman culled material from this poem and the other "Inscription" poems to create an italicized "Inscription" that he placed before "Starting from Paumanok" at the beginning of the book; in that edition he also transferred part of verse 2 to "As I Sat Alone by Blue Ontario's Shore" (later the line was dropped and the title was revised to "By Blue Ontario's Shore"). From 1872 onward, this poem, revised and retitled "One's-Self I Sing," was printed as the first of several poems in the "Inscriptions" cluster that opened the book. In the 1888
November Boughs
, however, Whitman reprinted the 1867 version as "Small the Theme of my Chant." Note: This manuscript draft may have been written before the Civil War, since it does not include the 1867 line "My Days I sing, and the Lands—with interstice I knew / of hapless War."
Whitman Archive Title: Inscription To the Reader at the entrance of Leaves of Grass
Content:
One of a series of draft introductions Whitman prepared for
Leaves of Grass
, but which were never printed during his lifetime. This particular introduction, composed entirely in verse, was reworked and revised multiple times. Though "Inscription To the Reader at the entrance of Leaves of Grass" did not appear in print as a distinct and cohesive piece until collected by Clifton Joseph Furness in
Walt Whitman's Workshop
(1928), portions of this draft were distilled into "One's-self I Sing," first published as "Inscription" in the 1867 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. Whitman revised this poem before including it as "One's-self I Sing" in 1871, dropping some of the lines only to reintroduce them in "Sands at Seventy" (1888), under the title "Small the Theme of My Chant." Both "One's-self I Sing" and "Small the Theme of My Chant" appeared in the 1891-92 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. Lines from this manuscript were also revised and used in the poem "So Long!," which first appeared in the 1860-61 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. The verso of the last leaf is blank and an image is unavailable.
Whitman Archive Title: Inscription at the entrance of Leaves of Grass
Content:
One of a series of draft introductions Whitman prepared for
Leaves of Grass
, but which were never printed during Whitman's lifetime. This particular introduction, composed entirely in verse, was reworked and revised multiple times. Though "Inscription at the entrance of Leaves of Grass" did not appear in print as a distinct and cohesive piece until collected by Clifton Joseph Furness in
Walt Whitman's Workshop
(1928), portions of this draft were distilled into "One's-self I Sing," first published as "Inscription" in the 1867 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. Whitman revised this poem before including it as "One's-self I Sing" in 1871, dropping some of the lines only to reintroduce them in "Sands at Seventy" (1888), under the title "Small the Theme of My Chant." Both "One's-self I Sing" and "Small the Theme of My Chant" appeared in the 1892 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. Images of the versos are unavailable.
Whitman Archive Title: To the Reader at the Entrance of Leaves of Grass
Content:
One of a series of draft introductions Whitman prepared for
Leaves of Grass
, but which were never printed during Whitman's lifetime. This particular introduction, composed entirely in verse, was reworked and revised multiple times. Though "To the Reader at the Entrance of Leaves of Grass" did not appear in print as a distinct and cohesive piece until collected by Clifton Joseph Furness in
Walt Whitman's Workshop
(1928), portions of this draft were distilled into "One's-self I Sing," first published as "Inscription" in the 1867 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. Whitman revised this poem before including it as "One's-self I Sing" in 1871, dropping some of the lines only to reintroduce them in "Sands at Seventy" (1888), under the title "Small the Theme of My Chant." Both "One's-self I Sing" and "Small the Theme of My Chant" appeared in the 1892 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. Lines from this manuscript were also revised and used in the poem, "So Long!," which first appeared in the 1860 edition of
Leaves of Grass
.
Content:
This draft is related to "Inscription," the prefatory poem of the 1867 edition of
Leaves of Grass
, which was
later revised as "Small the
Theme of My Chant." The smaller leaf, bearing a revised first
line, was formerly pasted to the larger leaf. Other manuscripts held at the
Library of Congress (Charles E. Feinberg Collection) and the New York Public
Library (Oscar Lion Collection) open with the same revised line, though the
published poem does not.
Content:
A cancelled poetry manuscript that is related to "Inscription," the prefatory poem of the 1867 edition of
Leaves of Grass
, which was later revised as "Small the Theme of My Chant." Other manuscripts held at Dartmouth and the Library of Congress (Charles E. Feinberg) open with the same revised line, though the published poem does not. An image of the verso is unavailable.
Content:
This is a draft of the poem "Inscription," which was first published in the 1867 edition of
Leaves of Grass
. The poem was later revised and published as "One's-Self I Sing." In
Leaves of Grass
(1891–92), lines from this manuscript appear in both "One's-Self I Sing" and "Small the Theme of My Chant."
