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Camden N J—U S America1—
July 29 '91
Y'r good letter f'm Bolton,2 with acc't of reception there3 & good time, already notified to you—still warm here but not so oppressive—graham
toast, rare egg, roast apple & coffee for my breakfast—Dr L4 here last evn'g—Mrs: D,5
Horace6 & Warry7 well—all good to me—
my sister8 at Burlington Vt: easier in health—O'Donovan,9 the sculptor, continuing—he
is to bronze it (nous verrons)—no mail this forenoon—
Evn'g—Small broil'd chop, string beans &
boil'd apple for supper—Horace here—this is the 6th I have sent10—
Thursday, 30th—warm weather still—but partially cloudy—head ache most of the time—use the
catheter probably to advantage—bowel
excretion so-so, (a passage this mn'g—first in four days)—visit f'm an old Brooklyn friend11 & his nice married daughter,12
(I get dazed & deaf when I attempt to talk, or am talked to)—As I conclude, it is well on afternoon raining & darkish. A pretty bad
day with me—perturbed inside & out. Give my affectionate regards to all friends & inquirers
Walt Whitman
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July 26
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Correspondent:
Richard Maurice Bucke (1837–1902) was a
Canadian physician and psychiatrist who grew close to Whitman after reading Leaves of Grass in 1867 (and later memorizing it) and
meeting the poet in Camden a decade later. Even before meeting Whitman, Bucke
claimed in 1872 that a reading of Leaves of Grass led him
to experience "cosmic consciousness" and an overwhelming sense of epiphany.
Bucke became the poet's first biographer with Walt
Whitman (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1883), and he later served as one
of his medical advisors and literary executors. For more on the relationship of
Bucke and Whitman, see Howard Nelson, "Bucke, Richard Maurice," Walt Whitman: An
Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York:
Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes
- 1. This letter is addressed:
Dr Bucke | care Mr Costelloe | 40 Grosvenor road | the Embankment | London |
England. It is postmarked: Camden, N.J. | Jul 30 | 8 PM | 91; 91; Philadelphia,
PA | Jul 30 | 11PM | Paid; London. S. W. | 7 P | Au 10 | 91. Whitman wrote this
letter on stationery printed with the following notice from the Boston Evening Transcript: "From the Boston Eve'g Transcript, May 7, '91.—The Epictetus saying, as
given by Walt Whitman in his own quite utterly dilapidated physical case is, a
'little spark of soul dragging a great lummux of corpse-body clumsily to and fro
around.'" [back]
- 2. During the months of July
and August 1891, Bucke traveled in England in an attempt to establish a foreign
market for the gas and fluid meter he was developing with his brother-in-law
William Gurd. On the trip, he spent time with Dr. John Johnston and James W.
Wallace, the co-founders of the Bolton College of Whitman admirers. Bucke also
visited the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. [back]
- 3. Whitman is likely referring
to Bucke's letter of July 18, 1891. [back]
- 4. Daniel Longaker
(1858–1949) was a Philadelphia physician who specialized in obstetrics. He
became Whitman's doctor in early 1891 and provided treatment during the poet's
final illness. For more information, see Carol J. Singley, "Longaker, Dr. Daniel [1858–1949]," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R.LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 5. Mary Oakes Davis (1837 or
1838–1908) was Whitman's housekeeper. For more, see Carol J. Singley,
"Davis, Mary Oakes (1837 or 1838–1908)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 6. Horace L. Traubel (1858–1919)
was an American essayist, poet, and magazine publisher. He is best remembered as
the literary executor, biographer, and self-fashioned "spirit child" of Walt
Whitman. During the late 1880s and until Whitman's death in 1892, Traubel visited
the poet virtually every day and took thorough notes of their conversations,
which he later transcribed and published in three large volumes entitled With Walt Whitman in Camden (1906, 1908, & 1914).
After his death, Traubel left behind enough manuscripts for six more volumes of
the series, the final two of which were published in 1996. For more on Traubel,
see Ed Folsom, "Traubel, Horace L. [1858–1919]," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 7. Frank Warren Fritzinger
(1867–1899), known as "Warry," took Edward Wilkins's place as Whitman's
nurse, beginning in October 1889. Fritzinger and his brother Harry were the sons
of Henry Whireman Fritzinger (about 1828–1881), a former sea captain who
went blind, and Almira E. Fritzinger. Following Henry Sr.'s death, Warren and
his brother—having lost both parents—became wards of Mary O. Davis,
Whitman's housekeeper, who had also taken care of the sea captain and who
inherited part of his estate. A picture of Warry is displayed in the May 1891
New England Magazine (278). See Joann P. Krieg, "Fritzinger, Frederick Warren (1866–1899),"
Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and
Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), 240. [back]
- 8. Hannah Louisa (Whitman) Heyde (1823–1908),
youngest sister of Walt Whitman. For more, see Paula K. Garrett, "Whitman (Heyde), Hannah Louisa (d. 1908)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]
- 9. William Rudolph O'Donovan
(1844–1920) was an American sculptor. He was an associate of American
artist Thomas Eakins and accompanied Eakins to Whitman's Camden home and
fashioned a large bust of Whitman. Whitman liked O'Donovan but did not care for
the bust, which he found "too hunched" and the head "too broad" (Horace Traubel, With Walt Whitman in
Camden, Wednesday, July 15, 1891). [back]
- 10. Whitman is keeping track of
the number of letters he has sent to Bucke in England. [back]
- 11. This may be a reference
to William H. Taylor. Taylor was a former driver or the son of one and had
written to Whitman on June 15, 1891. [back]
- 12. As yet we have no information about
this person. [back]