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10 th 89 O Good Gray Poet, When I read the notes on your life made by Ernest Rhys the tears came to my

feeling of the boundlessness of the universe, of the greatness of a man—perhaps, only perhaps, it may be my

glory to help others to "justify" your work; it surely is my heart's desire.

My excuse for writing you is the sending of a book; a first utterance, called "Voices & Undertones"—it

Belmont Mass Oct 3. 89 Dear Old Quaker Friend of the horse-taming sea kings of Long Island: My thorn

He drew those pictures of yr home for my book; but takes the blackguard view of you.

My dame laid him out flat after calling on you. She can do such things, is keen as steel.

White's pitiful parody of L of G. in my face & thot he had floord me, he said he ahd heard that Edwin

I have to do it for my writings now.

Dont get down-hearted, my boy, say I! We read yr strong verse in November Century.

Whitman's poem "My 71st Year" was published in the November 1889 issue of Century Illustrated Monthly

I go now & get a wrap up: I have not given up, & never shall the pub. of my apotheosis of W.W.

It just meets my ideal. A book is doubled in value by pocket-form. My cousin has gone.

It took me several days to absorb it and make my extracts &c.

(I fear my digestion must be poor to-night judging from the tone of the foregoing!)

I keep toiling away kicking my MS into shape, adding touches &c &c W S Kennedy William Sloane Kennedy

Just as my MS pkg was consigned to steamer Roman of the Warren Line, comes crawling along—like a fly

Commemoration Ode," which has often, since its publication, been contrasted with Whitman's own tribute, "O Captain

My Captain!"

You dear (young) old F'ellow: — I was just feeling to-day a lack in my soul—a gap—an idea that you had

I continue at my typographical business Hope I hear from Paisley in a fortnight goodnight & love—gloomy

Robert Browning (1812–1889), known for his dramatic monologues, including "Porphyria's Lover" and "My

30, 1868, Whitman informed Ralph Waldo Emerson that "Proud Music of the Storm" was "put in type for my

My yard is looking finely. 2 doz. hyacinths out. bye bye W. S. K.

My window hyacinths in fragrant bloom. (honey bunches) W. S. K.

Gardner of Paisley, accepting my MS. "Walt Whitman the Poet of Humanity."

suppose his idea is that people will buy L. of G. more if they are not given the passages in question in my

He bites hard—says "it wd be a vast pity if the book were to fall through," owing to my obstinacy I suppose

—However, with all my deep chagrin, I c but laugh (long & well), over little Stedman & Holmes (I suppose

You say in it "as to my alleged opinion of Stedman: I have no such opinion.

My feeling toward S. is one of good will & thanks markedly—O'C says he is a good fellow, & I say so too

Stedman w never forgive my trying to comfort him . Ha! ha!

I think I shall now pitch overboard fr my book the Hartmannian lading (supplement) entirely.

I mean give him my regards. & to Dr. B. whose last I shall answer soon W. S. K.

In his letter to me I alluded to in my letter of this date to you, O'C says, "I sincerely hope no memoir

It is firstrate I did make that condition in my letters to Gardner —i.e. that my corrections on proofs

I have offered & agreed to return her $5.00—one of Wm's subscriptions, thinking one of my books w d be

Wilson will tackle in some way my Whitman .

I have abt 10 minutes a day to my self!

Wilson has my MS now. Am going to take a vacation in a month.

Do drop me a line dear & revered papa, & relieve my anxiety abt you. W. S. Kennedy.

Belmont Sept 15 '89 (Sunday afternoon) Dear Walt:— I never meant my last poor postal to be the answer

to write the bk I told you of, I must bore you with a letter—just to say how'd'e, & to tell you that my

staunch little dame, my brave frau kin is going to make a little visiting tour, & will some day make

for my freedom! [Here I cut a caper] Now for six weeks of thought . I wrote to F.

My gloire di Dijon rose has grown 12 feet high in many rigorous shoots.

It is worth all of my book put together.

I also send you per express paid a couple of jars of my nice currant jam put up by myself fr fruit raised

Grant, the General's father, addressed to my great uncle Granger, (Judge William G. of Ohio very wealthy

Jesse came very near marrying my uncle's sister he says. I may publish the letter. So keep mum .

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

Whitman has written at the bottom of the page in blue pencil: "I rec'd the currants—wh' I eat with my

Belmont Oct 27 '89 To Walt Whitman I am immensely pleased (tickled) with the result of my little Wifekin

I rubbed my hands in glee after quoting some of the good great fellows (in England & America) who stand

She says, "I saw with my own eyes, his nobility & manners," &c.

I always forget to say that while several times in my MS I seem to have ignored yr notes, in reality

Give my love to Dr. B.

My Dear W Whitman, Yr letter & papers both rec'd with thanks.

My article is scientific , I even reverently analyze Shakespeare's technique & prove that he inclined

I had been reserving this piece of work until I moved into my new house.

I sent my article on poetry to the Century. They ordered an article on E.E. Hale, wh.

My dear Sir.

think of you, and I am sure that it affords me much more than that to give this personal expression to my

say entirely my own way, and put it unerringly on record."

In another place the feeling of pride leads to this exclamation: "My Book and I—what a period we have

These snowy hairs, my feeble arm, my frozen feet, For them thy faith, thy role I take, and grave it to

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

let me have ten or Fifteen Dollars have been having pretty hard luck of late and find myself Broke My

My dear Mr.

Whitman:— I have thought of you often since my call upon you the other day (and before, too, for that

matter), and felt, that although I have a copy of your works in my library, I would like one from you

. * "No one will get at my verses who insists upon viewing them as a literary performance, or as aiming

Leaves of Grass has been chiefly the outcropping of my own emotional and other personal nature—an attempt

day, there can be no such thing as a long poem, fascinated him: "The same thought had been haunting my

flashes of lightning, with the emotional depths it sounded and arous'd (of course, I don't mean in my

"I round and finish little, if anything; and could not, consistently with my scheme.

1524 Walnut Street Philadelphia My Dear good gray Poet— Ever since I bought the first edition of Leaves

But you must know that I am an artist, and am able, out of my craftman's knowledge, to separate Art as

I am a native Texan, but my father belonged to the Georgia branch of the Whitman family.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! O Captain! my Captain!

O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain!

my Captain!

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse

But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, O how shall I warble myself for the dead one

was welcome (I have sent it to Dr Bucke, as he likes such) —Nothing very significant—am still here in my

has come safely —thanks—I am here yet getting along fairly—seven weeks hot weather here—but I hug to my

old den thro' all as the best I can do in my immobile condition—no sales of books —love to all inquiring

Whitman made a similar observation in The Commonplace-Book on July 19, 1889: "No sale worth mentioning of my

good-will & good luck to you, dear friends both—Nothing very new or different with me—I have just finished my

& blessings — I am writing for pub'n a little still—have had a bad spell last week & before—one of my

require it—I never undressed coldest nights last winter—tired oft as an old vetrans , I dropped in my

narative. narrative Got a heater last winter, gave a picture for it—pipe passed into chimney through my

room mad made it comfortable— My sister on Staten Island has been dangerously ill for some weeks—now

several children and grand children—sincere— guiless— guileless beloved——I have not seen either of my

was better three days ago, but weak & in bed—Dr B[ucke] here yet— I sit here alone same as ever, in my

thanked Walt Whitman for the copy of Complete Poems & Prose, and expressed his "admiration . . . with all my

love for one I considered, from my first reading of him, as one of the best and the greatest men of

Camden April 16 '89 Nothing very different or new in my affairs—the past ten days bad rather—sort of

last rec'd—have no opinion or comment or suggestion to make —did you receive (& send on to O'C[onnor]) my

89 Y'r card just rec'd —papers come regularly—thanks—Nothing very different with me—Still imprison'd—my

dilapidation not mending (slowly gradually worse if any thing, but not much change)—am preparing my

35 quai des grandes Augustine"—279 pp. handy beautiful French style, paper—Nothing very different in my

affairs—the N Y Literary News for May has a notice —did you see that infernal farrago of my opinions

Camden New Jersey Oct: 17 '89 Thanks for the nice currants (I have had some for my breakfast) & the good

Bucke's letter to me, mentioning y'r last wh' I lent him)—Nothing specially new or significant with my

13 P M '89 Nothing important—y'rs rec'd & welcomed—Dr B[ucke] writes me frequently—still anchor'd in my

Camden May 8 '89 Y'rs of 6th rec'd—thanks—yes, I am agreeable to your sending S[tedman] my former letter

O'C[onnor] (f'm the wife ) to day, & I am gloomy—Dr B[ucke] writes me every day & cheerily—Horace & my

improvement in health or strength either—but I keep pretty good spirits & eat & sleep fairly yet—Have my

Good bye for the present, Ed, & my remembrances & love to you, boy— Walt Whitman Walt Whitman to Edward

and his brother Harry were the sons of Henry Whireman Fritzinger (about 1828–1881), a former sea captain

Davis, Whitman's housekeeper, who had also taken care of the sea captain and who inherited part of his

328 Mickle Street Camden New Jersey March 31 '89 Thanks, my dear E C S, for the box of noble books with

for the loving cheering (I fear flattering) long letter, wh' has done me good, & I have read twice—My

I wish to convey my best regards to the printers, proof-readers & print-plate presser &c — I have been

Camden New Jersey US America Evn'g Sept 8 '89— Here I sit toward sunset in my big old chair in the 2d

story room in Mickle street wafting affectionate wishes over to you— Nothing new or notable in my affairs

My 71st Year

Reprinted in Good-Bye My Fancy (1891).; Our transcription is based on a digital image of a microfilm

Reprinted in Good-Bye My Fancy (1891).; Our transcription is based on a digital image of an original

Reprinted under the new title "To the Pending Year" in Good-Bye My Fancy (1891).; Our transcription is