Content:
A partial draft of a prose piece, with the cancelled title "Convalescence." A revised version of this draft fragment was first published in
Specimen Days & Collect
(1882–1883) as "The Oaks and I." Whitman included "The Oaks and I" unchanged in
Complete Prose
(1892).
Content:
Notes detailing a portion of Whitman's restorative time in the rural area near Timber Creek. These notes first appeared in the 9 April 1881 issue of
The Critic
as part of "How I Get Around at Sixty and Take Notes. (No. 2)," under the section heading "Convalescent Hours." Whitman further revised these notes before publishing them as a portion of "The Oaks and I,"
Specimen Days & Collect
(1882–1883). "The Oaks and I" was later published in
Complete Prose Works
(1892). Though Whitman dated these manuscript notes 10 February 1877, he seems to have been unsure about the precise date of this piece. Published versions of this prose item appeared with a date of 5 September 1877.
