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to file a map of their route, etc., has been withdrawn, and that therefore there is no necessity for my

This Opinion was then considered by me as my final action upon the subject.

argument upon such facts, not intending to reëxamine the questions unless such facts should be brought to my

Co. not at any request, but, as I suppose, for my convenience in the event that cause for revising the

My consent to hear further argument on new facts was not intended as a recall of the Opinion, or as a

my blue veins leaving! O drops of me!

, from me falling—drip, bleeding drops, From wounds made to free you whence you were prison'd, From my

face—from my forehead and lips, From my breast—from within where I was conceal'd— press forth, red drops—confession

Scented Herbage of My Breast. SCENTED HERBAGE OF MY BREAST.

SCENTED herbage of my breast, Leaves from you I yield, I write, to be perused best afterwards, Tomb-leaves

O blossoms of my blood!

grow up out of my breast! Spring away from the conceal'd heart there!

Do not remain down there so ashamed, herbage of my breast!

AS TOILSOME I wander'd Virginia's woods, To the music of rustling leaves, kick'd by my feet, (for 'twas

this sign left, On a tablet scrawl'd and nail'd on the tree by the grave, Bold, cautious, true, and my

Long, long I muse, then on my way go wandering; Many a changeful season to follow, and many a scene of

the unknown soldier's grave—comes the inscription rude in Virginia's woods, Bold, cautious, true, and my

My dear Sir, When a man has ventured to dedicate his work to another without authority or permission,

This must be my excuse for sending to you the crude poem in wh. which you may perchance detect some echo

Grass in a friend's rooms at Trinity College Cambridge six years ago till now, your poems have been my

What one man can do by communicating to those he loves the treasure he has found, I have done among my

I fear greatly I have marred the purity & beauty of your thought by my bad singing.

evening March 8 Dear son, I thought I would write you just a short letter, if no more, as you are in my

I sometimes come to the office nights, to read, it is so quiet—and now I am sitting here at my desk,

So I thought of my dear boy, and will send a few words, though nothing particular to say.

Johnny, I send you my love, & good night for this time—the mail closes at 8, & it is some after 7 now

Give me the drench of my passions! Give me life coarse and rank!

with the dancers, and drink with the drinkers; The echoes ring with our indecent calls; I take for my

love some prostitute—I pick out some low person for my dearest friend, He shall be lawless, rude, illiterate—he

one condemn'd by others for deeds done; I will play a part no longer—Why should I exile myself from my

publish'd—from the pleasures, profits, eruditions, conformities, Which too long I was offering to feed my

soul; Clear to me, now, standards not yet publish'd—clear to me that my Soul, That the Soul of the man

substantial life, Bequeathing, hence, types of athletic love, Afternoon, this delicious Ninth-month, in my

forty-first year, I proceed, for all who are, or have been, young men, To tell the secret of my nights

Behold me where I pass—hear my voice—approach, Touch me—touch the palm of your hand to my Body as I pass

; Be not afraid of my Body.

HERE the frailest leaves of me, and yet my strongest- lasting strongest-lasting : Here I shade and hide

my thoughts—I myself do not expose them, And yet they expose me more than all my other poems.

Willard, would in any degree affect my official action in that matter.

Perhaps it is not possible for one in your circumstances to view such cases as they appear to one in my

so disproportioned a share of attention given to it, and which was cheerfully given, (on account of my

But this was only a passing impulse on my part, and I desire you to feel that I retain no unkindness

or the mere addition of respectable names to the list of petitioners, will not produce a change in my

Dear Mr Whitman Please pardon my intrusion but as I am a great lover of literature especially poetry,

Miller's muse If you will be so kind as to answer my critical questions I will thank you very much.

volumes of Horace Traubel's With Walt Whitman in Camden (various publishers: 1906–1996) and Whitman's "My

States awhile—but I cannot tell whither or how long; Perhaps soon, some day or night while I am singing, my

Open mouth of my Soul, uttering gladness, Eyes of my Soul, seeing perfection, Natural life of me, faithfully

To prepare for sleep, for bed—to look on my rose- color'd rose-color'd flesh; To be conscious of my body

How my thoughts play subtly at the spectacles around! How the clouds pass silently overhead!

I remember I said, before my leaves sprang at all, I would raise my voice jocund and strong, with reference

Receive me and my lover too—he will not let me go without him.

me, and takes the place of my lover, He rises with me silently from the bed.

my clothes were stolen while I was abed, Now I am thrust forth, where shall I run?

carefully darn my grandson's stockings.

How he informs against my brother and sister, and takes pay for their blood!

Long for my soul, hungering gymnastic, I devour'd what the earth gave me; Long I roam'd the woods of

O wild as my heart, and powerful!)

wonder, yet pensive and masterful; All the menacing might of the globe uprisen around me; Yet there with my

; —Long had I walk'd my cities, my country roads, through farms, only half satisfied; One doubt, nauseous

longer wait—I am fully satisfied—I am glutted; I have witness'd the true lightning—I have witness'd my

My sister Martha at St. Louis was not in good health at last accounts.

will tell you further—Beulah asked much about you & William, and Jeannie— Nothing special with me or my

As it turns out, my death by railroad smash permeated the lower orders, (I suppose at second & third

My true love to you both—Jeannie, my darling, a kiss for you—good bye, Nelly dear— Walt The following

My Likeness! EARTH! MY LIKENESS! EARTH! my likeness!

1871 febuary February 9 My dear walt Walt i write a few lines to say i received your letter yesterday

Hudson River horror is awful in the extreme it is enoughf enough to make one shudder) i am better of my

cold but are quite lame it seems as if the pain and lameness is all settled in my left knee i can walk

but yesterday i was quite bad but i think it will be better in a day or two i have had a weakness in my

right hand and wrist you can see by my writing it looks some like yours when your thumb was so bad how

Beginning My Studies. BEGINNING MY STUDIES.

BEGINNING my studies, the first step pleas'd me so much, The mere fact, consciousness—these forms—the

As I Lay With My Head in Your Lap, Camerado. As I Lay with my Head in your Lap, Camerado.

As I lay with my head in your lap, Camerado, The confession I made I resume—what I said to you and the

open air I resume: I know I am restless, and make others so; I know my words are weapons, full of danger

For some days past my mother has been ill—some of the time very ill—and I have been nurse & doctor too

, as none of my sisters are home at present—But to-day she seems over it, if the favorable symptoms continue

they are now hanging up in mother's front room—& are the delight & ever-increasing gratification of my

I too wish to be with you once more—though it will be but so briefly — Much love to you, my dear friend

Furzedown, Streatham Surrey Sunday April 23. 1871 My dear Mr.

day—I have been very, very much occupied & intensely busy one way & another arrears of work claimed my

attention for you know I am not a "briefless barrister" & latterly my work has increased but I have

determined that this glorious spring time shall not pass without my carrying out the my my intention

smell of the flowers, the clouds the rainbows & sun lights as I see them & hear them all from this my

Sir: In order that there may be no mistakes as to my position in regard to a rehearing upon the questions

presented by the Interior Department, p. 225 for my opinion in relation to the asserted rights of the

made by that time, I cannot promise to hear it at all, in view of the engagements which press upon my

however, I should find no cause for such suspicion, the opinion already prepared may be considered as my

—I don't well know when my American Selection will be out: my work on it is done, & the rest depends

I sent on the copy of your works transmitted for "The Lady," after some little delay occasioned by my

seems very considerably impressed with the objects & matter of interest in London: I wish it might be my

previously published in Leaves of Grass, "Passage to India" was Whitman's attempt to "celebrate in my

…My brain is too sensitive.

Rossetti I am drawn toward, and though my first impression of him was that he was a high flown literary

as Assistant Secretary Richardson has impressed me into his service here & proposes to retain me & my

I have seen enough of cities, & streets & art and pictures & museums to stand me all the rest of my days

, and am in a hurry to set my face westward.

fried eggs on a perfumed napkin, and the napkin on beautiful tissue paper & the whole on a china plate (my

Whitman referred to Rossetti's edition as a "horrible dismemberment of my book" in his August 12, 1871

…My brain is too sensitive.

daughters, sons, preluding, The love, the life of their bodies, meaning and being, Curious, here behold my

cycles, in their wide sweep, having brought me again, Amorous, mature—all beautiful to me—all wondrous; My

wondrous; Existing, I peer and penetrate still, Content with the present—content with the past, By my

knows, aught of them;) May-be seeming to me what they are, (as doubtless they indeed but seem,) as from my

changed points of view; —To me, these, and the like of these, are curiously an- swer'd answer'd by my

lovers, my dear friends; When he whom I love travels with me, or sits a long while holding me by the

appearances, or that of identity beyond the grave; But I walk or sit indifferent—I am satisfied, He ahold of my

Ere, departing, fade from my eyes your forests of bayo- nets bayonets ; Spirit of gloomiest fears and

steps keep time: —Spirit of hours I knew, all hectic red one day, but pale as death next day; Touch my

mouth, ere you depart—press my lips close!

Let them scorch and blister out of my chants, when you are gone; Let them identify you to the future,

What do my shouts amid lightnings and raging winds mean?)

songs in Sex, Offspring of my loins.

Behold me where I pass—hear my voice—approach, Touch me—touch the palm of your hand to my Body as I pass

; Be not afraid of my Body.

all was still, ringing little bells last night under my ear.

the still woods I loved; I will not go now on the pastures to walk; I will not strip the clothes from my

body to meet my lover the sea; I will not touch my flesh to the earth, as to other flesh, to renew me

and meat; I do not see any of it upon you to-day—or perhaps I am deceiv'd; I will run a furrow with my

plough—I will press my spade through the sod, and turn it up under- neath underneath ; I am sure I shall

transparent green-wash of the sea, which is so amorous after me, That it is safe to allow it to lick my

Italian tenor, singing at the opera —I heard the soprano in the midst of the quartet singing; …Heart of my

—you too I heard, murmuring low, through one of the wrists around my head; Heard the pulse of you, when

all was still, ringing little bells last night under my ear.

Weave In, Weave In, My Hardy Life. WEAVE IN, WEAVE IN, MY HARDY LIFE. WEAVE in!

weave in, my hardy life!

What Think You I Take My Pen in Hand? WHAT THINK YOU I TAKE MY PEN IN HAND?

WHAT think you I take my pen in hand to record?

Now List to My Morning's Romanza.

NOW LIST TO MY MORNING'S ROMANZA. 1 Now list to my morning's romanza—I tell the signs of the Answerer

And I stand before the young man face to face, and take his right hand in my left hand, and his left

hand in my right hand, And I answer for his brother, and for men, and I an- swer answer for him that

to the President at his levee, And he says, Good-day, my brother!

My dear Ramsdell , Perhaps it may hardly be necessary, but I feel to write you a line of caution about

You might do well to put in about my intended appearance before the American Institute, at its 40th opening

, Sept. 7th in New York, and that the curiosity of both my friends & foes is extremely piqued, &c &c.

Who is he that would become my follower? Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?

don'd abandon'd ; Therefore release me now, before troubling yourself any further—Let go your hand from my

those know me best who admire me, and vaunt- ingly vauntingly praise me, Nor will the candidates for my

love, (unless at most a very few,) prove victorious, Nor will my poems do good only—they will do just

(For what is my life, or any man's life, but a conflict with foes—the old, the incessant war?)

painful and choked articulations—you mean- nesses meannesses ; You shallow tongue-talks at tables, (my

resolutions, you racking angers, you smoth- er'd smother'd ennuis; Ah, think not you finally triumph—My

Pete, I am sitting in my room home, finishing this—have just had a bath, & dressed myself to go over

Foul Play" —if not, I have one here I will send you— Dear son, I believe that is all this time—I send my

love, dear son, & a good loving kiss—I think of you every day—Give my best regards to all enquiring

friends, & inform them I expect to be back in about three weeks— Good bye, my darling boy—from your comrade

I refer to this simply to show my indisposition to advise the removal of an officer upon unproved charges

The transaction which has been lately brought to my notice in the Thomas case obliged me to suggest to

I was not moved in the slightest degree by any thing in the Stokes and Beatty case, but my action was

taken from my own views of propriety, without any suggestion whatever any suggestion whatever from the

afterwards lose you. 2 (Now we have met, we have look'd, we are safe; Return in peace to the ocean, my

love; I too am part of that ocean, my love—we are not so much separated; Behold the great rondure—the

space—Know you, I salute the air, the ocean, and the land, Every day, at sundown, for your dear sake, my

SPONTANEOUS me, Nature, The loving day, the mounting sun, the friend I am happy with, The arm of my friend

hanging idly over my shoulder, The hill-side whiten'd with blossoms of the mountain ash, The same, late

en- circling encircling fingers—the young man all color'd, red, ashamed, angry; The souse upon me of my

chastity of paternity, to match the great chastity of maternity, The oath of procreation I have sworn—my

greed that eats me day and night with hungry gnaw, till I saturate what shall produce boys to fill my

trod, calling, I sing, for the last; (Not cities, nor man alone, nor war, nor the dead, But forth from my

vistas beyond—to the south and the north; To the leaven'd soil of the general western world, to attest my

Northern ice and rain, that began me, nourish me to the end; But the hot sun of the South is to ripen my

all—aplomb in the midst of irrational things, Imbued as they—passive, receptive, silent as they, Finding my

woods, or of any farm-life of These States, or of the coast, or the lakes, or Kanada, Me, wherever my

As I Lay with my Head in your Lap, Camerado.

As I lay with my head in your lap, Camerado, The confession I made I resume—what I said to you and the

open air I resume: I know I am restless, and make others so; I know my words are weapons, full of danger

O the sun of the world will ascend, dazzling, and take his height—and you too, O my Ideal, will surely

O lips of my soul, already becoming powerless! O ample and grand Presidentiads!

(I must not venture—the ground under my feet men- aces menaces me—it will not support me: O future too

I were nothing; From what I am determin'd to make illustrious, even if I stand sole among men; From my

The oath of the inseparableness of two together—of the woman that loves me, and whom I love more than my

warp and from the woof; (To talk to the perfect girl who understands me, To waft to her these from my

own lips—to effuse them from my own body;) From privacy—from frequent repinings alone; From plenty of

the right person not near; From the soft sliding of hands over me, and thrusting of fingers through my

30 Sept 1869 thursday Thursday afternoon my dear i have to write again you kno w i said in my letter

couldent couldn't get the money i was going yesterday but just as i was going i had quite an increase in my

You misunderstand my position.

According to my information, this was not the case until the 25th of October.

books and furniture here some two weeks before, I feel at liberty to pay from the time indicated in my

In my opinion, the appointment of such an officer is desirable for many considerations.

Since my connection with the Department of Justice, I have had occasion to observe that a large proportion

in the views expressed by you to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and have the honor to add my

MY spirit to yours, dear brother; Do not mind because many, sounding your name, do not understand you

I do not sound your name, but I understand you, (there are others also;) I specify you with joy, O my

divisions, jealousies, recriminations on every side, They close peremptorily upon us, to surround us, my

A SIGHT in camp in the day-break grey and dim, As from my tent I emerge so early, sleepless, As slow

Who are you, my dear comrade? Then to the second I step—And who are you, my child and darling?