Inspired by a perusal of some of your leaves of grass, especially "Starting from Paumanok," "Song of the Open Road" & "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, I dashed off the enclosed Sonnet, which I take the liberty of send to you, the rather to gratify my own pride, than to expect that you will esteem such a faulty production to be an honour.
loc_as.00185_large.jpgI hope you will not consider me to be taking a liberty, but merely to be paying a somewhat antiquated tribute (spontaneously) to the honour of a great genius.
Yours respectfully, W.J. Hensley "I dream'd a dream I saw a city invincibleHowever I think it better to leave it as it is—
To a Prophet.
Whitman, thy earnest cries have reached our shore, Thou prophet of the old, & new En-Masse: From world to world the glorious tidings pass, Of which down-trodden mortals scarce before Did dream, or if they did, with fire and gore Raised Hell on Earth by setting class 'gainst class; Thus crushing Freedom at her birth, alas! And ripping up the mother that her bore. But thou dost teach a common Brotherhood, The Present joins the Past, the East the West, And from their union spring a perfect brood, Bound by the sacred ties of Comradeship, To purify our Earth from Error's pest, Till her last Sun in waves eternal dip.Correspondent:
As yet we have no information about
this correspondent.