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well—have had a very fair summer, (though so much hot weather)— I commenced publishing L of G in June on my

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

Dear friend, My idea is a book of the time, worthy the time—something considerably beyond mere hospital

interest I surely think—in some respects somewhat a combination in handling of the Old French Memoires, & my

own personality (things seen through my eyes, & what my vision brings)—a book full enough of mosaic,

I have many hospital incidents, [that] will take with the general reader—I ventilate my general democracy

know the people generally now are too (far more than they know,) & would readily absorb & understand my

could easily publish a small Book, but the one you propose...implies an expenditure that may be beyond my

We havnt got the money yet, but I suppose it is sure— I like my boarding house very well, take it altogether—we

Van Velsor Whitman's letter of February 27, 1867 was filled with complaints about her health ("i feel my

Dear friend, I suppose you received my letter of September 25. The letters to me from A.

Did you see John Swinton's warm ¶ about my illustrious self in N. Y. Times , 1st instant?

Give my best love to John Burroughs, & show him this note to read. J.

I send my love to Charles Eldridge—By a wretched oversight on my part I missed an appointment with him

Nelly, my dear friend, I send you my best love—in which my mother joins me—We are all well.

, above the salutation appeared the following: "ask about the office—Ashton—has Andy Kerr returned —my

December 17 Dear John Burroughs, I have been back here two weeks & over—My Washington jaunt occupied

Best love to 'Sula Ursula , & to Jenny Grant if there— My new edition is nearly ready—Two Vols Volumes

Walt)—just now though he is quite sick, but I opine will get along—The rest all very well, except that my

I hear young Walt raising his song, in the room overhead as I conclude my letter— Love to you, as always

, my friend— Walt.

Houghton wrote to Joaquin Miller on September 1, 1875, from Chicago: "Please give my best regards to

O'C to publish —Cold & sunny to day here—I have buckwheat cakes for my breakfast & mutton & rice stew

Whitman's preface was also included in Good-Bye My Fancy (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1891), 51–53.

benefactor, and have felt much like and New striking my tasks, visiting York to pay you my respects.

charity has no death— my wisdom diesnot,neither earlynor late, And my sweet love bequeathed here and

For my own part, I may confess that itshone upon me when lifewas when I was my broken, weak, sickly,

should be of my body.

my poems.

little Harry . . . is a fine, good bright child, not very rugged, but gets along very well—I take him in my

"Uncle Walt," and he found them "model children lively & free & children" who "form a great part of my

Monthly rejected four poems that Whitman had submitted ("Old Chants," "Grand Is the Seen," "Death dogs my

Whitman's preface was also included in Good-Bye My Fancy (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1891), 51–53.

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

June 15/80 My dearest Friend, Many tokens have you sent me.

Often dear Friend do I picture you sitting on one of the benches (may my dream come true!)

I still busy with the proof &c. of the new edition of my Husbands Husband's book.

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

Whitman: "Because you have, as it were, given me a ground for the love of men I thank you continually in my

Specimen Days —drops into Rees Welsh's shoes—It is just as well—& is indeed to me no change—for really my

me"—supplements to Heywood's paper "the Word"—(I believe I will just enclose H's letter—slips & all)—My

16—(As to the vehement action of the Free religious & lover folk, in their conventions, papers &c in my

As I write, it is a cloudy moist warmish Sunday, 10¼ a. m. pleasant—quiet here—I am up in my 3d story

I am holding my own in the recovery of my half state of health—am contemplating some change of base,

—the more I think of it, the more I am convinced that is Comstock's game, (see my letter)" (Henry W.

On March 21, 1883, O'Connor explained to Burroughs that the project had been delayed because of "my cares

My books, Leaves of Grass , Passage to India Democratic Vistas &c. will be duly dispatched to-night or

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

I find them of great use in giving me ideas about my business and they are too cursed costly to buy  

letter to his mother, Louisa Van Velsor Whitman: "Mother, when you or Jeff writes again, tell me if my

Camden 3rd Jany. 188 8 Your card of 24 th Dec. came two days ago, not a little to my relief.

He lives in the next street to Cowley St. from which by the way I may have to move shortly as my sister

this at the Reading Room of British Museum, & must end it rather hurriedly having to run off to meet my

Whitman: "Because you have, as it were, given me a ground for the love of men I thank you continually in my

May 1891 My dear friend, Johnston shewed showed me your card of the 5 th , which I read with thoughts

.; AI | A | ALL; | May | 27 | 91; ton | 56 | MY 16 | 91.

would be greatly pleased to place your autograph among those of some grand poets, such as I have among my

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

I got too the paper with translation from my essay, for which I owe the editor & translator deep thanks

Bucke about my lecture.

is progressing well, though the necessity of taking pupils which I am under now costs a good deal of my

The essay alluded to is probably Whitman's "A Backward Glance on My Own Road" in the January 5, 1884

Isabella F. was here a couple of weeks ago, and one of my sisters at the same time.

O'Connor that he was "laid by with lameness—added to by a fall two months ago & turning my ankle in."

My dear Walt— I got your second letter yesterday, forwarded here from Dresden.

I have mentioned it in my preface.

I sent with my M.S. manuscript a copy of Freiligrath's article, & did all I could to secure a favourable

But I think I can rely on my father's helping me to the extent needed.

He & my mother are greatly delighted with the two grandchildren we have brought them home.

his January 16, 1872 letter to Rudolf Schmidt, Whitman wrote that Freiligrath "translates & commends my

Camden Wednesday Evn'g: Aug: 22 '88 Still keeping in my sick room.

My brother Eddy that was at Moorestown is now at Blackwoodtown. Is well.

Whitman occasionally referred to Stafford as "My (adopted) son" (as in a December 13, 1876, letter to

Whitman's poem "My 71st Year" was published in Century Illustrated Magazine in November 1889.

My folks at the house are all well.

I shall be pretty busy now for a while after my absence gathering up the ends of the strings and getting

them in order in my hands again—fortunately for me I have good, honest, faithful, capable assistants

"Ingersoll's Speech" of June 2, 1890, was written by Whitman himself and was reprinted in Good-Bye My

The preface was included in Good-Bye My Fancy (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1891), 51–53.

s Purport," "For Us Two, Reader Dear," and "My Task" (?).

I have the shackles on my shoulders still.—but I have no wings.

If you care to know who it is that writes this my name is Abraham Stoker (Junior).

My friends call me Bram. I live at no 43 Harcourt St Dublin.

I am ugly but strong and determined and have a large bump over my eyebrows.

I say it to my own shame but not to my regret for it has taught me a lesson to last my life out—without

editorial decisions, which included editing potentially objectionable content and removing entire poems: "My

My heart has not been up to par this winter (since the upset last fall, the dislocation in Dec. & the

letter to Whitman's disciple and biographer Horace Traubel: "I had a fall last evening and dislocated my

Houghton, Mifflin, 1891), for which Whitman wrote the Preface (which he later included in Good-Bye My

her—she was cheerful to a degree and at noon of the day she died sat up in her chair and directed how my

—I reached out my hand to feel the life-blood thrill beneath my fingers—I was faint with transport.

arms above my head to catch the stray sunbeams;—hugged it to my bosom transported with extatic emotion

;—yet never came before my vision sensual forms or thought found place in my imagination;—Was I passionless

—the warm, sympathetic tears that crept from beneath my eyelids and rolled lovingly down my bosom, soothing

my beating heart?

To My Soul TO MY SOUL.

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

Then all may arrive to but this; The glances of my eyes, that swept the daylight, The unspeakable love

I interchanged with women, My joys in the open air—my walks through the Man- nahatta Manahatta , The

of my mouth, rude, ignorant, arrogant— my many faults and derelictions, 38* The light touches, on my

It was later reprinted in Good-Bye My Fancy (1891), under the title American National Literature before

White noted a relationship between these pages and the poems Who Learns My Lesson Complete?

He called my attention to the dent in the hat.

letters in the Trent Collection at Duke University as one of the "true treasures [that] helped shape my

"My Boys and Girls," The Rover , April 20, 1844. Reprinted in The Early Poems and Sketches, ed.

ldent shut my hand my finger were so swoln but we got along." March 26–28?

present plan to do the ensuing winter at my leisure in Washington."

All errors I claim as my own.

September 3 Dear Friend At last the beloved books have reached my hand —yet now I have them, my heart

In 1861 my children took scarlet fever badly: I thought I should have lost my dear oldest girl.

My youngest was then a baby.

O the voice of my Mate: it must be so—my love rises up out of the very depths of the grief & tramples

It is not happiness I plead with God for—it is the very life of my Soul, my love is its life.

New York, Dec 21 189 1 My dear Sir.

And my doctor was Doct Swift of that place.

I am still a little weak , but my strength is daily improving.

—I believe you can recover if you will follow my suggestions.

After that to my office 132 Nassau Street New York City.

Thou knowest my years entire, my life, My long and crowded life of active work, not adoration merely;

Thou knowest the prayers and vigils of my youth, Thou knowest my manhood's solemn and visionary meditations

All my emprises have been fill'd with Thee, My speculations, plans, begun and carried on in thoughts

, I yield my ships to Thee.

My hands, my limbs grow nerveless, My brain feels rack'd, bewilder'd, Let the old timbers part, I will

Thou knowest my years entire, my life, My long and crowded life of active work, not adoration merely;

Thou knowest the prayers and vigils of my youth, Thou knowest my manhood's solemn and visionary meditations

All my emprises have been fill'd with Thee, My speculations, plans, begun and carried on in thoughts

, I yield my ships to Thee.

My hands, my limbs grow nerveless, My brain feels rack'd, bewilder'd, Let the old timbers part, I will

of my friends.

, probably my last.

It is called 'Good-bye, My Fancy,' and is now in the press.

with me and encouraged me in my theories.

Give my regards to all my friends, and particularly to the press fellows, for I never forget that I was

My dear Einstein, On coming back here, I find your letter of the 20th.

My paralysis has left me permanently disabled, unable to do any thing of any consequence, and yet with

ago, I bought a nice cheap lot, intending to put on a small house to haul in, & live out the rest of my

I had, & yet have I have a sort of idea that my books, (I am getting ready, or about have ready, my completed

But my means, meagre at the best, have gone for my expenses since, & now, while not hitherto actually

where I wanted you to come & see me—(& still want you, if you have a chance. ) But I spend most of my

down at an old farm down in Jersey where I have a fine secluded wood & creek & springs, where I pass my

time alone, & yet not lonesome at all (often think of you Pete & put my arm around you & hug you up

dear —I still make my brother's house at Camden my headquarters, & keep my room there—address my letters

the whole, am getting along pretty well, & good spirits The new edition of my books I sell enough of

My dear Sir, Yours of 27 January, and Leaves of Grass, received.

I hope that you did not consider my request for your photograph impertinent.

and therefore my allusion to it.

that I did my best—however—perhaps I soared too high—in addressing Barbarians.

I had told Dowden of my not having received any reply to my cards or letters and my apprehension that

My dear Mr. Whitman, Some days ago came my parcel—many thanks—Mr. Grosart's books included.

Graves had come previously—I have waited a few days expecting to hear from my brother (from Edinburgh

this year also, to get a kind of confession or self–revelation from one of the most promising men in my

Probably my next bit of work will be the arranging for publication a volume of Essays on 19 th century

at this moment; but he would like to get your photograph (of which you spoke) & if you address it to my

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

originated in an untitled section of the 1855 edition, which in the 1867 edition became "Now List to My

the practice to cheer them up with presents—and, as I believed that your "Leaves of Grass" would give my

I have lately abandoned my intention—half-formed—of trying to earn my living at the bar—and I am uncertain

Amongst other things, if it is not done before I can put my hand to it, I will, if you will give me leave

knowledge as the digesting by time can alone give—of your poems, and I need not add that if it came in my

I am afraid that my letter is growing to a much-too-great size, but there is one more topic.

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

Whitman: "Because you have, as it were, given me a ground for the love of men I thank you continually in my

August 1891 My dearest Friend, My birthday today. 38.

But you have my dearest love evermore.

From a full heart I pray God to bless my friends, & their chief.

Letters, too, from other friends—swelling my heart with emotions almost painful—my dear old friend Fred

My life becomes more & more intertwined with yours.

In his March 9, 1892, letter to Traubel, Greenhalgh wrote that "Walt has taught me 'the glory of my daily

In all the departments of my life Walt entered with his loving personality & I am never alone" (Horace

My dear friend, I regret to say that our hopes of getting out the complete and arranged edition of your

My first feeling at hearing of this arrangement was one of regret.

In the next place it is far better, in my opinion and that of your real friends here, that the introduction

facts together with the assured social and literary position of Rossetti make him of all persons of my

Conway Observe my change of address Moncure D. Conway to Walt Whitman, 12 October 1867

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

editorial decisions, which included editing potentially objectionable content and removing entire poems: "My

appetite fair—The plaster cast come safe to Dr J[ohnston] —Bolton —Ralph Moore is dead—Tom Harned well—my

much more than care for it—I would prize it very, very highly & would give it a place of honour in my

home second to none of my possessions."

I could convey no idea to you of how it affects my soul.

I got it, looked into it with wonder, and felt that here was something that touched on depths of my humanity

The circumstances of my family were easy; I received a good education, was intended by my father for

The eldest was my favorite.

I kept a box of my own, and frequently attended, often giving my family permission also to be present

My blood curdled as I saw there an image of the form of my son—my cruelly treated Luke—but oh, how ghastly

I clapped my hands to my ears, to keep out the appalling sounds that seemed to freeze my very blood.