Sunday evening—
Dearest mother,
I will commence a letter to you, though there is nothing particular to write
about—but it is a pleasure even to write—as I am alone a great deal yet
in my room. It is about ½ past 8, and I am sitting here alone—I have been out
to-day twice, riding in the cars—it is a change—the weather here is very
pleasant indeed—if I could only get around,1 I
should be satisfied—
I expect Peter Doyle2 in yet this evening, to stay an hour or
two—he works every night except Sunday night—
Monday noon | April 7.
Well, mother dear, I am now finishing my letter, over at the office seated at my
desk—I do not feel very well. My head is still so feeble—I suppose I
ought to be satisfied that I do not go behindhand—I send you quite a bundle of
papers to-day—One of the Graphics3 with one of my
pieces in4—the spring seems to be opening here, the grass
is quite green, & the trees are beginning to bud out—it looks very
pleasant—
Love to you, mama dear, & all—
Walt.
Correspondent:
Louisa Van Velsor Whitman (1795–1873) married
Walter Whitman, Sr., in 1816; together they had nine children, of whom Walt was
the second. The close relationship between Louisa and her son Walt contributed
to his liberal view of gender representation and his sense of comradeship. For
more information on Louisa Van Velsor Whitman, see Sherry Ceniza, "Whitman, Louisa Van Velsor (1795–1873)," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes
- 1. In January 1873, Whitman
suffered a paralytic stroke that made walking difficult. He first reported it in
his January 26, 1873, letter to his mother, Louisa
Van Velsor Whitman (1795–1873), and continued to provide regular notes on
his condition. By mid-March Whitman was taking brief walks out to the street and
began to hope that he could resume work in the office. See also his March 21, 1873, letter to his mother. [back]
- 2. Peter Doyle (1843–1907) was
one of Walt Whitman's closest comrades and lovers, and their friendship spanned
nearly thirty years. The two met in 1865 when the twenty-one-year-old Doyle was
a conductor in the horsecar where the forty-five-year-old Whitman was a
passenger. Despite his status as a veteran of the Confederate Army, Doyle's
uneducated, youthful nature appealed to Whitman. Although Whitman's stroke in
1873 and subsequent move from Washington to Camden limited the time the two
could spend together, their relationship rekindled in the mid-1880s after Doyle
moved to Philadelphia and visited nearby Camden frequently. After Whitman's
death, Doyle permitted Richard Maurice Bucke to publish the letters Whitman had
sent him. For more on Doyle and his relationship with Whitman, see Martin G.
Murray, "Doyle, Peter," Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia,
ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York: Garland Publishing,
1998). [back]
- 3. The New York Daily
Graphic published a number of Walt Whitman's poems and prose pieces in
1873 and 1874. In the former year the Daily Graphic
printed the following works: "Nay, Tell Me Not To-day the Publish'd Shame" on
March 5, 1873; "With All the Gifts, America"
on March 6, 1873; "The Singing Thrush" (later
titled "Wandering at Morn") on March 15, 1873;
"Spain" on March 24, 1873; "Sea Captains, Young or
Old" (later called "Song for All Seas, All Ships") on April 4, 1873; "Warble for Lilac-Time" on May 12, 1873; "Halls of
Gold and Lilac" on November 24, 1873; and "Silver and Salmon-Tint" on November
29, 1873. In 1874, the Daily Graphic printed "A Kiss to
the Bride" on May 21, 1874; "Song of the
Universal" on June 17, 1874; and "An Old Man's
Thought of School" on November 3, 1874. [back]
- 4. The publication Whitman refers to is
"Sea Captains, Young or Old" (later called "Song for All Seas, All Ships"). [back]