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[several words illegible]
Osceola
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| By Walt Whitman |
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[Sent to the Editors?]
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[When I was I was nearly grown to manhood in Brooklyn New York, ^(middle of 1838) met one of the returned US Marines from Fort Moultrie S.C. and had long talks with him.—learn'd the occurrence here below described—the death of Osceol[o?]a The latter was a ^young, brave, leading Seminole in the Florida war of that time,—was surrender'd to our troops,—was imprison'd and ^literally died of "a broken heart" at Fort Moultrie. He sicken'd of ^his confinement—the doctor and officers w made every allowance ^and kindness possible for him; but his life's-end then the close:]
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| When his hour for death had come, |
| He slowly rais'd himself from the bed on |
| the floor, |
| Drew on his war-dress, shirt, and leggings, |
| and girdled the belt around his waist; |
| Call'd for vermilion paint (his looking-glass |
| was held before him,) |
| Painted the half his face and neck, his wrists, |
| and the back-hands, |
| Put the scalp-knife carefully in his belt— |
| then lying down, resting a moment, |
| Rose again, half sitting, smiled, gave in silence |
| his extended to each and all, |
| Sank faintly low to the floor, tightly grasp'd |
| the tomahawk handle, |
| Fix'd his look on wife and little children—the |
| last: |
| (And here a line in memory of his |
| name and death.) |
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Date
- This manuscript, apparently printer's copy, was probably written in 1889 or 1890, shortly before the poem's publication.
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Editorial note
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"Osceola" was published first in Munyon's Illustrated World, April 1890.
The verso of the manuscript leaf is
blank.
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Location
- Osceola | Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
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Whitman Archive ID
- yal.00037
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)
)
