Search Results

list of letters that must be written, and this morning I rec'd yours of the 18th ult. again enforcing my

I have been working very hard in the past year and, in addition to my work in Lachine, have had 2 patents

(in which I am only part inventor) on my mind, with much writing and drawing to do in all my spare moments

This, as much as any one thing, is why my time has been broken into and why I have not written sooner

Yes, I remembered that my payments were only up to Nov. 1st (through Oct.) and as I had expected to start

I went into next room to look for my mail.

I had scribbled all this down on my knee—standing in doorway.

"I will do my best to read it today. It ought to strike a true note—it is in John's field."

Telegram from Ingersoll, received at Bank: "Give my love to Whitman and to it add my hope that he may

My old journalistic friend remembers him here thirty-five years ago, when he first put out his "Leaves

New Orleans, San Francisco, The departing ships when the sailors heave at the capstan; Evening—me in my

room—the setting sun, The setting summer sun shining in my open window, showing the swarm of flies,

freedom, futurity, In space the sporades, the scatter'd islands, the stars—on the firm earth, the lands, my

thereof—and no less in myself than the whole of the Mannahatta in itself, Singing the song of These, my

ever-united lands—my body no more inevitably united, part to part, and made out of a thousand diverse

New Orleans, San Francisco, The departing ships when the sailors heave at the capstan; Evening—me in my

room—the setting sun, The setting summer sun shining in my open window, showing the swarm of flies,

freedom, futurity, In space the sporades, the scatter'd islands, the stars—on the firm earth, the lands, my

thereof—and no less in myself than the whole of the Mannahatta in itself, Singing the song of These, my

ever-united lands—my body no more inevitably united, part to part, and made out of a thousand diverse

My subject is in prosperous circumstances, and is one of the few men of that class who have become prominent

So far the good qualities of my subject in public life.

My subject is sometimes too fast. His energy sometimes goes ahead of his prudence.

In truth there is too much progression about him to always suit my conservative ideas.

Some time ago my subject was inducted into a post of considerable political importance in another part

have not had a word from George yet—Mother, I have had quite an attack of sore throat & distress in my

a great effect upon him, & although I told the truth this time it did not have as good a result as my

The equipage is rather shabby, horses indeed almost what my friends the Broadway drivers would call old

here, sat in his carriage while Stanton came out & had a 15 minutes interview with him (I can see from my

sixteen, (about ten bugles, the rest cymbals & drums)—I tell you, mother, it made every thing ring—made my

Candidly and dispassionately reviewing all my intentions, I feel that they were creditable—and I accept

Or rather, to be quite exact, a desire that had been flitting through my previous life, or hovering on

feeling or ambition to articulate and faithfully express in literary or poetic form and uncompromisingly my

in a few lines, I shall only say the espousing principle of those lines so gives breath of life to my

Difficult as it will be it has become, in my opinion, imperative to achieve a shifted attitude from superior

It now takes all my energy merely to get to the chair and back to the bed again.

"I knew the habitats of Hicks so well—my grand-parents knew him personally so well—the shore up there

What all this comes to is, that just that sort of a debate is going on in my mind now, whether to condemn

For thirty years I have had it in my plans to write a book about Hicks.

the procrastinations, stranded, with nothing but a few runaway thoughts on the subject to show for my

My first glimpse of him by sunlight this week. Face pale, eyes bad—a generally haggard aspect.

W. again: "I for my part accept the cheap cover just as it is: it has a meaning."

My dear Mr.

have read was a mere newspaper exaggeration, and in sending you this wish I send the assurances of my

Shall let my Rossetti questions hold over.

Dear as the principle of free trade is to me—near as it is to my heart—fully as I am convinced that in

And when I said: "Walt Whitman at 70" was one of my suggestions of a title, he said: "Yes, that is very

I asked if he wished a set of sheets of my own little book. "Oh yes! and then I can write Dr.

"I have told you I knew Stedman at Washington—he had my position before me.

When the Secretary of the Interior cut my head off—I went over to the Attorney General's office—took

Eminently cordial—spoke up instantly on my entrance: "I have had a call today from Tom and Mrs.

though somewhat irregularly, for it was nearly dark) endorsed it; sending it, as he put it there, "With my

At my mention deprecatively of "The Mystic Trumpeter," he explained: "I do not mean that—that is exceptional—that

Book in my hands (a present from Clifford; Gilman on Profit-sharing).

today, considering generosity and breadth of purport and spirit.Weather thereupon—the beauty of the day—my

"I forgot all about his name," he exclaimed, "my usual habit—nowadays!"

In my old days I take on the usual privilege of years—to go slow, to be less vehement, to trust more

means democracy, says democracy—seems to take easy hold of what I hope is ever and ever the point of my

It is to be my treat.

Asked me if Castle was "any good" any more—and upon my negative, "Well I supposed not, as a singer—but

As to his good health—"Well—here I am—I can still answer to my name."

"I doubt whether the old fellow can: with my taste, appetite, gusto, I do not come away entirely satisfied

By and bye, noting I drew near the fire to wind my watch, he turned his chair about—got up and fixed

"I'll strike a light"—and refusing Morris' offer of help—"I act just the same when my friends are here

Morris assented and W. thereupon swinging about in his chair to the center table said: "I take pride in my

W. reading the Century—and after cordially extending his own and grasping my hand—spoke freely of the

On the other hand the Emerson picture—much spoken of—is a failure—at least, that would be my opinion.

"My first impression was that the Republican position was right—but since I have seen various signs of

I am not inclined to change from my old position.

"I have always had a suspicion they were not related, but my suspicion never rose to a certainty."

you into one of Whistler's nocturnes," etc. and he laughed, "Well, I was going to quote a saying of my

To my inquiries saying, "I did not know him personally—that is, to speak to him, but I have seen him.

I am ever to say has been said in the old channels—in 'Specimen Days'—in 'November Boughs'—and yet my

"From my very first days up I have brushed myself—had a flesh brush: it has been a source of refreshment—not

I like your idea much better—much: it more exactly reflects me, my mission."

Called out "Horace" with great cordiality—took and held my hand—said, "I had wondered what had become

And I explained my absence—he assenting, "I know—it was all right—I am not disposed to question it.

Said he had no word from Talcott Williams yet anent Reisser colloquy—"my type-written copy" he called

In my pocket a copy of [Harper's] Young People—beautiful double-page engraving by Baude of "The Divine

When you get in town, somewhere within handling of a copy of the Century Dictionary, look up my word,

Good-Bye my Fancy [second annex to Leaves of Grass (1891-92)]

more foolish than the rest of the volume:— "I too am not a bit tamed—I too am untranslatable, I sound my

The last scud of day holds back for me, It flings my likeness, after the rest, and true as any, on the

I depart as air—I shake my white locks at the run-away sun, I effuse my flesh in eddies, and drift it

Leaves of Grass, Whitman confidently anticipated that in a "few years . . . the average annual call for my

necessitated a level of pride equal to the enormous task of an American poetry: "I know perfectly well my

own egotism," he admits, "[k]now my omnivorous lines and must not write any less."

avowedly chant 'the great pride of man in himself,' and permit it to be more or less a motif of nearly all my

"He shan't squeeze my girl.'"

Asks from my sister a letter of introduction to the Strykers.

I quoted a review of Florian's Montaigne: " 'Myselfe am the groundworke of my booke': such were the Whitmanesque

"I always object," he explained, "to putting my name in a book about myself.

"But," he added, "after all, the big book is the book, in my estimation: has a quality not imparted by

My effort has always been to pack, condense, solidify—to get my material into the smallest space compatible

When the big publishers—Harpers, the Century folks—issue a book, they use as many as my whole edition

s on my way home (5.10) to leave one set of proofs of my piece for the book.

should not spread things out—I should keep both letters and speeches well together"—which was precisely my

I referred to McKay—my reference to him in the introduction—that some thought Dave's act in espousal

I went straight in and W. knew me and called out my name—I then going direct to the bed and shaking hands

I excused my interruption.

My specification of Bucke's constant letters caused him to exclaim ardently, "Dear, dear—ever dear—Doctor

You will tell him all needful things, facts, about my condition.

And remarked, "The nights drag wearily through," replying to my questions to say, "I have spent a bad

Advised me as I left, "Arrange everything with Dave: you know my whims, notions—I trust to you."

he had said, "I have passed a lifeless, useless, helpless day—have not read, written—hardly opened my

W.: "This part of the back of my belly to the left is the great trouble—sore and hurts and swells."

enjoying the prospect, I think, and all that comes in its train.Spoke about questioners: "They are my

W. in trying to remember something to tell me, suddenly exclaimed, "My memory is very bad and becoming

He admitted, "Yes, they may be true, but my memory is bad, always has been bad.

Adding, "My memory is more a memory of impressions than of facts.

My dear Traubel:To begin where I left off yesterday: the excitement you have raised is phenomenal.

—that the whole testimonial is for his sole benefit—etc. etc.Now give my best regards to your own good

I hope to see you both some time next week—when the pot begins to boil—as I may be able to put in my

I can never do that: I am always held back till the fact is right in my fist—till a slip is no longer

I still said "yes"—adding—"The day I get it I will leave it on my way home and call later for it again

And, "I want a proof of my little piece, too—should have it. Can you tell Stoddart?"

Wallace writes me June 5th [requesting copies of "Good-Bye My Fancy"].

was curious—I jumped all bounds—probably the more for feeling that the fellows had come, in a way, to my

it, are very serious about it—Mother, it is serious times—I do not feel to fret or whimper, but in my

—& how the dear little girls—Jeff, I believe the devil is in it about my writing you, I have laid out

Mother, I have just had my breakfast, I had it in my room, some hard biscuits warmed on stove, & a first

He did not even ask about your health, or any other human thing, & made me feel that my call upon him

I had resolved, for reasons of my own, not to call upon any of those fellows, & I feel like throttling

Herbert for making me depart from my resolution.

If you have a copy of my "Notes" to spare, send it to O'Connor. I have but one.

My dear Walt you think strange of my not writing befor e and it is strange i have not but i have wrote

laid out in A black frock coat of Georges and vest and shirt looked as if he was asleep i never in all my

have him buried in greenwood i paid little attention to her fault finding but done what i thought was my

Here it is a call for help, an invocation, a word Whitman actually uses ("as now to thee I launch my

prepares for old age and death, as his images may hint: "Prepare the later afternoon of me myself—prepare my

lengthening shadows / Prepare my starry nights."

—though I doubt if you can catch a good 200 lbs., which I believe I still weigh, in spite of my emaciation

then to my affirmative response: "If I keep on in this way I shall by and by have a Hebrew clientage—and

And he said still again: "And all my Hebrew friends are turning out to be among the young—you would call

Immediately on my entrance, almost, he spoke of a volume he took up in his hands—Roden Noel's "Essays

W. much enjoyed my story, exclaiming: "That's John Bull—that's the bull of him—supercilious, disdainful—thinks

—and as a general thing they go right: though it goes against my grain to send off a letter or what not

as he is—calling my attention to some of the portraits—particularly Schiller's—saying of this—"What a

I laughed at the glow, but told W. what had been the substance of my letter: then asking him: "Don't

shall drink very little myself—it would not do—only enough to taste—to be satisfied it is right—that my

Even at the last, when an answer was given to my question, it was still so indefinite I could not make

it out—do not know to this day if my 8 dollars were actually received.

I have often struggled to say that, in my own way, but a less way." Friday, January 10, 1890

Questioning me of Lumholz—I promised sometime in my leisure to give him an account of curious bits of

It is so with me—I have stuck and stuck—through a something within me which my enemies would think hopeless

previous poems of the then contemporaneous—"You are quite right there—I am fully convinced on that point—my

He afterwards added in a similar strain: "I have read my own Century piece over today, and like it well—am

But my aim has been, to so subordinate that, no one could know it existed—as in fine plate glass one

My determination being to make the story of man, his physiological, emotional, spiritual, self, tell

Dear son, I am sitting here in my room home, alone—it is snowing hard & heavy outside, & cold & wintry

—I have attended to the bringing out the new edition of my book, but as the plates were all ready before

fire—here now I am not like I am in Washington—you would laugh to see me hovering over the fire)— —My

From the moment my eye rested on the Dr I made up my mind that he was a fool, a regular Doctor.

failing very rapidly indeed, he is a mere shadow of what he ought to be and I have not the least doubt in my

been bothered considerably with some sort of a rash which broke out in blotches nearly as large as my

hand all over my arms and body  it burns very bad, the Doctor said it was the effects of the heat, and

My Love to all.

(about 20) April 1869 My dear Walt i got you to day today with the enveloves envelopes and money all

much use to get a high salary) walt this is great writin writing but i have had to work so hard that my

in these days they Walt so its best not to make any calcalation calculation good bie walter Walter my

Now my lectures are over I am spending the summer helping in the garden and any odd jobs about the place—and

—I can't keep my fingers off it—but still that takes only a small fraction of the week & leaves plenty

These friends that I have here and my more natural open air life seem to have made a difference to me

I have done gone and published my essay The Poet as a Craftsman.

W. added: "That's my question, too: where is the Christian?"

W.: "Fit in a grave, Tom: yes: after I'm dead: that'll be my last and only fit!"

Harned said: "I had no idea, Walt, that you'd give such a ghastly turn to my innocent remark."

W. then: "There you are once more, Mister Skeptic, taking my wisdom to pieces!"

me about the fire last night: it was a lumber yard along the wharves; he was very much interested in my

But then," he said doubtingly, after a slight pause: "since that draft business I don't trust my memory

I blurted out at once so he should remain in no uncertainty: 'I 'mI'm afraid my friend that I hope it

, but when a sample like this comes along with his numerous arogances I am up in arms again full of my

I read it to him.>333 Liverpool Road, Apr. 11, '76 Dear Dixon: I forgot to acknowledge in my last the

You objects that call from diffusion my meanings and give them shape!

Why are there men and women that while they are nigh me the sunlight expands my blood?

Why when they leave me do my pennants of joy sink flat and lank?

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain'd!

Camerado, I give you my hand!

You objects that call from diffusion my meanings and give them shape!

Why are there men and women that while they are nigh me the sunlight expands my blood?

Why when they leave me do my pennants of joy sink flat and lank?

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well—be not detain'd!

Camerado, I give you my hand!

You objects that call from diffusion my meanings and give them shape!

Why are there men and women that while they are nigh me the sun-light expands my blood?

Why when they leave me do my pennants of joy sink flat and lank?

It is safe—I have tried it—my own feet have tried it well. Allons! be not detained!

I give you my hand!

such directions respecting the proceedings allowed to as I may deem expedient, or to express to you my

I regard the subject of your letter, and the request for my advice and direction in the premises, as

text had for its third line: "Doubtless I could not have perceived the universe, or written one of my

Whitman deletes this line in 1867 and replaces it with "(I loved a certain person ardently and my love

As per my promise to Bucke, I urged W.'s preface to O'Connor's book.

the minister, Cake"—who "out-Heroded Herod in coming here"—proposing—"communal marriages, in a way—in my