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—bowel movements fair—no hitch in the progress of the big book, but slow—my dull indomitable inertia

ought to have been $10. instead of $6. that would have left margin enough for every thing and it is my

Respected Sir, My object in writing to you is simply to request that you would favor me with your autograph

I am well again, go my round, &c & as usual—feel first rate too—good appetite, sleep well, &c.

We who are well and strong can hardly realize what a bad time you must have—my greatest comfort at present

Whitman, Dear Friend I received your kind and ever welcome letter from you and glad to hear that my brother

interesting—It looks like winter here, snow 8 inches deep in every direction—but I like it much—a far view from my

I am home here in Brooklyn, having the usual sort of a time—Mother is only middling this summer—My brother

I have not rec'd any letters for the last two days— I suppose you got my letter Saturday—I have been

this—that just now the liver is the seat of, & concentrates, that markedly defective enervation which my

only out of the inimitable poem of the wo- man woman , can come the poems of man—(only thence have my

yours—yet peace no more; In peace I chanted peace, but now the drum of war is mine; War, red war, is my

long—to-day I have been sadly pestered with visitors—every thing goes well with me, except the slowness of my

and his face assumed its serious aspect.He said again: "I got two letters in my mail today—one from Doctor

Harned's boy was there, also, coming forward in the dark when he heard my voice and informing me, "I

That would be my understanding of him." W. said he had written to Mary Costelloe today.

Then he continued: "In my mail today was a letter from Kennedy.

I said that for my part I looked upon Stedman's position as thoroughly firm and genuine.

and think, 'Well, this great thing has been, and all that is now left of it is the feeble print upon my

brain, the little th rill which memory will send along my nerves, mine and my neighbours'; as we live

reading them, can be attached to their opinion at page 8 of the report R OBERT S PENCER OBINSON In my

radiation, &c. as to its fitness, appropriateness, advantage (or disadvantage) with reference to me , to my

This have I thought good to deliver thee, my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightest not lose

COME closer to me, Push closer, my lovers, and take the best I possess, Yield closer and closer, and

Neither a servant nor a master am I, I take no sooner a large price than a small price— I will have my

become so for your sake, If you remember your foolish and outlawed deeds, do you think I cannot remember my

are, I am this day just as much in love with them as you, Then I am in love with you, and with all my

friendly companions, I intend to reach them my hand, and make as much of them as I do of men and women

COME closer to me, Push close, my lovers, and take the best I possess, Yield closer and closer, and give

Neither a servant nor a master am I, I take no sooner a large price than a small price —I will have my

become so for your sake, If you remember your foolish and outlawed deeds, do you think I cannot remember my

this day just as much in love with them as you, Then I am eternally in love with you, and with all my

friendly companions, I intend to reach them my hand, and make as much of them as I do of men and women

Whitman's poems, though possessing individuality of their own: "Primary chief bard am I to Elphin, And my

I was with my Lord in the highest sphere, On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell; I have borne

been in Asia with Noah in the ark; I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra; I have been with my

whole universe; I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth; And it is not known whether my

Echoes of camps, with all th[gap] Trooping tumultuous, all[gap] bending me powerless[gap] Entering my

He put Carlylean fire into my mouth—made me saturnine: said things for me I didn't say for myself.

I know I am different: there is no smell of preparation about my conversation: I would disdain that.

I called Billy and said: 'I'm nearly tired to death: take me somewhere—anywhere: take me to my room.'

He was born and raised in my town, and is well known as a literary man, and to me and to the citizens

"No—the alternative is enough to make me shudder: I'll have to go unsworn until something worthy of my

"Then before I depart I sweep my eyes o'er the scene fain to absorb it all, / Faces, varieties, postures

" sequence: "Arous'd and angry, I'd thought to beat the alarum, and urge relentless war, / But soon my

fingers fail'd me, my face droop'd and I resign'd myself, / To sit by the wounded and soothe them, or

"Bearing the bandages, water and sponge, / Straight and swift to my wounded I go."

Those three years I consider the greatest privilege and satisfaction . . . the most profound lesson of my

I expressed my desire at the suggestion, and he commenced his narrative: Both this original printing

"My child!" she cried, in uncontrollable agony, "my child! you die!"

This sentence and the preceding one, beginning "My child," also first appeared, with minor differences

He acknowledged in answer to my questioning, that he had indeed been relating a story, the hero of which

.; This sentence and the preceding one, beginning "My child," also first appeared, with minor differences

beautiful, curious, breathing, laughing flesh is enough, To pass among them, or touch any one, or rest my

As I see my soul reflected in nature; As I see through a mist, one with inexpressible com- pleteness

For they do not conceal themselves, and cannot conceal themselves. 9 O my Body!

likes of the Soul, (and that they are the Soul;) I believe the likes of you shall stand or fall with my

instep, foot-ball, toes, toe-joints, the heel; All attitudes, all the shapeliness, all the belongings of my

curious, breath- ing breathing , laughing flesh is enough, To pass among them, to touch any one, to rest my

As I see my soul reflected in nature, as I see through a mist, one with inexpressible com- pleteness

O my body!

are to stand or fall with the likes of the soul, I believe the likes of you shall stand or fall with my

instep, foot-ball, toes, toe-joints, the heel, All attitudes, all the shapeliness, all the belongings of my

beautiful, curious, breathing, laughing flesh is enough, To pass among them, or touch any one, or rest my

As I see my soul reflected in nature; As I see through a mist, one with inexpressible com- pleteness

For they do not conceal themselves, and cannot con- ceal conceal themselves. 9 O my Body!

likes of the Soul, (and that they are the Soul;) I believe the likes of you shall stand or fall with my

instep, foot-ball, toes, toe-joints, the heel; All attitudes, all the shapeliness, all the belongings of my

My stay very brief. I did not desire to do more than get proof.

The unlighted room caught me as I came near the house, aroused my apprehension.

Impressed to hear of my father's growing good opinion of German translation of Leaves of Grass.

There were several of my friends present there—vehement friends—and they thought I had made a great mistake

Called my attention to a letter from McKay. "He enclosed me payment for the three books.

And to my remark: "Australia is more American than English, anyway—" he said: "Yes, it is so: see how

its author, at all points of its meaning—so that things perhaps plain to Doctor are not so plain to my

reading it over lately, and it occurs to me that I might have been raspy—raspy—in the assertion of my

Showed her two letters to W.: "It does my heart good to see her hand again."

He admitted he had been a little twitted by my letter (the first), but I readily made that easy.

(W. says, "That is right: that fixes me right in my average personality.")

And my trip profited, with respect to the task I am to set about and a better acquaintanceship with her

My brother thinks so much of Mr.

I suppose I might have been more suspicious but for my dislike for one of our liveliest American qualities—suspicion

For my own satisfaction I went deliberately through 'Leaves of Grass' several times, but no sign!

First, I am grateful to my colleagues at Valparaiso University, who encouraged me throughout my work,

lack of the poet’s gift so acutely as when I turn to write of my family.

We closed with him . . . . the yards entangled . . . . the cannon touched, My captain lashed fast with

(For 1863 and ’64, see my Memoranda fol- lowing)” (quoted in Myerson, 191).

regularly performed there, bya substitute, during my illness.

Paul called Christ, Mohammed called Gabriel, Dante called Beatrice, and Whitman called My Soul.Bucke

Swoon" (this poem appeared in only three editions: Leaves of Grass, 1876, which Bucke used; Good-Bye My

That has always been my impression." I had a little volume with me containing Socrates' "Phaedo."

And on my response, "I don't like it—I don't think it supplies any want," he laughed.

to remember is that our old house is on a flat—that the Hills proper are a little distance off—where my

A grandson, I think, of the man who bought it from my father, so you see it has direct descent.

"It was the finest I ever tasted—but I feel short of my measure of it—some one of the waiters must have

suppose I got as much as was good for me—am probably in better condition for not having all that was my

I like it much—it is to me, for my intentions, indispensibleindispensable—the sun revolves about it,

But for me it is my necessity—it is all music—the clef of things—to discriminate—not so much to produce

I have no question but if I could meet him I could wheedle him about my thumb, and you can do it as well

He then, "I am sure it will come about all right: I usually find that my good demon does not nap in an

I will depute you, Horace, or Anne here, or Warrie, to take my place."

And when I told him my own preferences, "All simple tastes! All excellent simple tastes!"

My brother leaves me this afternoon—have just been having a fine game of backgammon with him—all well

have spent a horrible day—full of discomfort—sticky—sluggish—baddish more ways than I can tell: one of my

Brooklyn May th 5 1868 My dear Walt it seemed quite a treat to get your letter you are the only correspondente

to look at any more houses but was going to wait for something to turn up i am quite lame in one of my

—But of course my letter to you was not mailed, and now I have once more to reply to yours.— I am glad

kind and attentive to you, I assure you I did not think much of his bad delivery , but on the contrary my

, to the Hospital, &c. but I could not bring myself to go again—when I meet black men or boys among my

wards of a hospital, & trying to give a word of cheer, if nothing else, to every one, then confining my

'61 Camp Brooklyn near Baltimore June 28 My dear Mother Your letter and Walts came all right and glad

and down in the city but after ten O Clock it was as quiet as Brooklyn  Well good bye Mother  give my

long it treated mostly about a rabbitt rabbit in the wood house i must write to han as soon as i can my

arm keeps lame yet it gets up my arm more i got your letter yesterday walt with the money all safe if

3 Sept '63 My dear Walter i sit down to write you a few lines you have received georges letter before

georgee was sick a nd Andrew had gone and left her without any money i gave her one dollar and one of my

institutionalizing Jesse because, according to her December 25, 1863 letter, she "could not find it in my

conventions" and even other Philosophers and Poets shall not "master"—And so I ask you, did I not conduct my

(My last before this were July 18 and Aug 14 I will relieve you of any fears that I shall (of myself)

As a claim against the United States, it is clearly without my official province, & I must therefore

subordinate, the chief of the secret service division—and other papers, together with a memorandum of my

In reply, I have to say that no official intelligence is in my possession, upon the subject,—and the

Lyman against officers in the service of the Marshal are so indefinite that they justify no action on my

Sir: On the 6th day of Aug. 1871, you requested my opinion upon the question whether Henry S.