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Illinois, Ohio, From the measureless West, Virginia, the South, the Carolinas, Texas, (Even here in my

Each name recall'd by me from out the darkness and death's ashes, Henceforth to be, deep, deep within my

My Captain!": O Builder! My Builder!

My Captain!" several times (see Mad issues for April 1959, September 1967, and March 1983).

The song's narrator claims "I'd give my left lung to be hers for one night" and "she breaks my heart

'Leaves of Grass,' my ass!"

My Robot Friend (2004). Walt Whitman.

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.

Some words, all of us, with Captain Noell, who said, "This is possibly my last trip."

I suppose we remained three-quarters of an hour after my arrival.

Primeval my love)First Movement.

My eye never quite even tolerates the old form.

Showed him a few of my Whitman possessions, but no time to go into them.

I am glad you brought a few: I can enclose them with my letters."

I say to my friends: Don't be so sure of my innocence: all the bad is there with all the good, only needing

Dana quoted me copiously in his book—was my genial friend."

of my paragraphing being changed.

"Jeannie's death was the tragedy of their history—and a tragedy in my history, too.

My dear friend:Your letters and telegram received. Mr.

Baker will go over on Wednesday, and bring you my idea as to date and subject, etc.I care nothing about

They were my special favorites. I have every cause to remember Mrs.

Then to my questions, answered, "Yes—since you were here I have been reasonably well—as well as I have

I expressed my liking for a translation not so literal—one more bathed in the spirit—and W. said—"I see—I

W. however—"No—I should prefer to give him a little token—say the McKay picture, with my name on it—wouldn't

I must have an envelope for my pictures—a good strong capacious white envelope—capacious, for the pictures

deprecating remark, "Look out—you fellows"—laughingly—"Carnegie paid a handsome price for a seat at my

You know my notions. Make him understand them. I have to trust mainly to you anyway."

I was going along Pennsylvania Avenue one day—in my usual easy-go-lucky way—this way and that—taking

that time, asked me about some dates, saying very frankly, 'You are an old printer and will appreciate my

"That sounds shady enough to be my report: no mail, nothing at all. Yet let me see."

"I'm worse than an old woman with my complaints.

That man Law mentioned in the letter excites my affection but I do not seem to connect him with Pfaff's

The Herald, Boston,Aug. 2, 1887.My dear friend:I enclose for the cottage $285 in two checks of $50 and

Well, it is now past midnight, pretty well on to one o'clock, and my sheet is mostly written out—so my

As he examined them he said: "I see you did not take up with my suggestion, 'Last Words.'"

My dear friend:Your letter expresses the scope of what I wish to say, and the subject or subjects upon

If in November, let it be a little time after the election.Give my very best regards to Whitman.

It is wonderful—the rallying power that dear Nature gives us.I am glad you are pleased with my idea of

I reminded him of the notes he had promised me for my article. "There!" he exclaimed.

"It is my memory again! I have not written a word of it, not a word."

This week I go to Delaware Co. with my family for a change & rest, to be gone several weeks.

Give him my love. I return the ms. as you request.Very sincerely,John Burroughs W. read.

I had plenty of the little books once, but they are all gone now: I doubt if I could put my hand on one

My dear boy, I think I see you burning your books and mss. to retire into the wilderness to share Sitting

If I were you I would do my work in the bank and the W.

Had slipped shoes and stockings off, but on my entrance put latter on, asking me to a seat.

Consumed nearly the whole time of my stay questioning me on our yesterday's walk.

I often think that pica is, after all, my type: it is so ample, so satisfies the eye; and then I am inclined

s letters)—"It is what my grandfather called Unitarianism, 'a feather bed to catch a falling Christian

The evenings are my best times." The Jane Carlyle lay open face down on the floor.

My dear and great Walt.As you did not come up yesterday afternoon I did not expect you today.I hope to

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

means the best, highest, most natural, most effective form of expression.I salute you as the poet of my

heart, my intellect, my ideality, my life.Yours,J.

and bring the Irving money along with him—not that I am in any way troubled about the money, but for my

W. received what he calls "one of my funny notes" a while ago.

It is not new, particularly to you, to my friends. But it is one of my choice notes.

," and on my explanation: "Yes, that is good."

No, I do not see that my presence is necessary, indispensable.

I do not know but that it could be best to have it understood all is to go in my pocket."

"They will give you notions of how I pass my life." Tuesday, September 16, 1890

Mary is away today—Warrie is my cook.

I find I must exercise my utmost wits, to keep myself in a certain negative plane—which seems my only

Present my compliments to your wife & believe meTruly,D. G.

Now the book is completed, I want it made and kept my way." I had written Ingersoll today.

And I want you to let me know about it—for my curiosity has been aroused."

"I quite understand that it is my business to watch my own dunghill."

November Boughs is my final word—my closing up thought.

W. commented in this way: "I'm honest when I say, damn My Captain and all the My Captains in my book!

A whole volume of My Captains instead of a scrap-basket!

I say that if I'd written a whole volume of My Captains I'd deserve to be spanked and sent to bed with

W. had at once on our entrance insisted on having a light—"Oh my, we must have on!

The Thoreau cairn of stones: "That was there when I paid my visit—I carried a big stone—a stone as big

as my head—and threw it on—we all did.

esteemed and venerable friend, Walt Whitman, has just published a booklet which he calls 'Good Bye My

For my purposes—having my schema—I had almost to go ignorant of anything else.

—"But I was a devoted lover of the Church all my days on earth."

Yes indeed: as Burns says somewhere of the birds, 'they flit from place to place,' &c: which is just my

Stedman wrote that piece for The Century: it was not satisfactory to my friends, but was in fair spirit

you think I'll get over my kink about Oldach. Well—maybe!"

Look what Herbert did with my face when he got it over in London: look how he dressed me up—put the barber

at work on my hair—put it up in curl-papers and flung me abroad in the exhibitions as a social luminary

To my question, said: "You will find Bucke's book in the statistical, geneological way—as far as that

Told him then of my letter from Johnston today. Did he wish to read? "No, I guess not.

Indeed, it is my principal objection to the infernal noise created by the Sackville West letter that

I for my part can see no reason why West should not have his say—why any man should not have his say:

I for my part am distrustful of any personal rules or public customs which interpose barriers between

I find some of my friends—some of the ardent eulogists—making very many claims for me which I would not

My sister sent him in a jar of the clams recommended by Burroughs when here.

I was to take this to my father who was to make a design for it.

He answered: "I still ask my old question: did it ever go?"

Philp starts from Washington this evening so I must cut short my letter.

dear sir, please accept with my trust in the success of the enterprise my kindest respects to yourself

today, that last night you brought me palpable evidence of the book's completion—that I held it in my

For my own part, I would not rise out of my chair here to go into the fight—to cast a vote."

and having my "yes"—he quizzed, "What is it all about? What is it all for?"

Took an absorbed interest in my account of Clifford's noble speech—its unwelcome—its courage.

After awhile noticing my interest, he asked: "You find it attractive, do you?

Are getting things ready for my trip down. Country hereabout rich—B. enthusiastic as to its future.

And further, after I had stated the main lines of my argument, "That would be just what we wished.

The odor very perceptible, the instant I opened the door, and my eyes lighted on it. "Oh!

Amy's the name of my grandmother. Amy is now out in Oklahoma or some such place West."

If I have the trick of music—verbal music—at all, I owe it to the great singers, actors: they were my

There is camerado, and my great word, Presidentiad"—with a laugh—"which some don't think so great.

"I count this one of my very best days, taking it altogether."

"That's pretty good for my book," he said. I had a proof of the title portrait with me at last.

The master asked him: 'Are you sure, now, that you have everything belonging to me—every scrap of my

and the man looked at him and answered: 'Yes, my lord—at least!'

Give my love to the O'Connors.Good bye. Your friend,J. T. Trowbridge. Tuesday, October 23, 1888.

I am given a chance again to quote my phrase from Dr. Johnson about the credibility of history.

W. said: "That answers to my own observation, I have known a number of cases.

at which he came forward, I starting up two or three steps, grasped my hand and turned around to introduce

And to my negative, sat down and we talked there for 10 or 15 minutes. Soon the carriage drove up.

W. gave me slips containing his speech—thus:After all, my friends, the main factors being the curious

It was sweet, loving—took me back irresistibly to my dear father. It was so like him."

W. cried out to me at one point, as he saw me strutting about the room with the bundle under my arm,

But on my insistence found it and brought out, Wallace inspecting for some time.

, give my love to both the others and tell them what I tell you now.

And my head gets such queer whirlings, like chestnuts in a pot—jumping, turning.

As W. fingered the book he was writing on on my entrance, he explained, laughing, "This is my old Virgil—you

It is the book I had in my carpet bag and burst a bottle of wine over in one of my trips to the army

"No—it has no such significance at all: it only means that it was my humor to lie down: that is the whole

adding after my answer: "Well, I never met him myself. What is the value of the piece?" M.

Dave says: "I'll bet you my cover won't cost more than a cent more than yours."

My own choice right through has been the one I call 'the laughing philosopher.'

"My rule has been," W. continued, "so far as I could have any rule (I could have no cast-iron rule)—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.

W. said Captain Noell had been in with the blanket.Read him the several additional notes I had received

ever read Talmage at all; perhaps to try to find some change for the better, some chance to revise my

And on my assent—"Did you know his brother Johnny?"

he continued—adding thereupon—"This letter here on my lap is from the brother Johnny—as I knew him, a

Kennedy—Sloane's wife—happened in today: came about eleven—that was one of my changes of garments."

W. lying on the bed when I came, but at once got up and with my assistance crossed the room to his chair

"Yes," W. nodded: "it was justified in him: I only hope my own titles will be justified in me."

Yet my heart turns to Sand: I regard her as the brightest woman ever born."

If anything went wrong I would get my stick and hobble down to the water."

I think of Emerson's 'why so hot, my little man?' That seems to me to apply—I adopt it.

"I have been out of my chair today—had a delicious trip—the day fine beyond words.

I went up to Tom's—knocked at the office door with my cane—but evidently nobody was in." Alex.

Directed my attention to a French paper in the chair. "It comes from Bartlett's son, now in France.

"The paper contains a translation of my 'Bravo Exposition' piece, whether good or bad I do not know.

My surprise is, that they should have been willing to devote so much space to it.

It is quite in the nature of my own ideas on that subject.

You may say so, and I will give you a subject—of course, having some little time to make up my mind."

appreciation of Baker's generosity and sympathy, adding, "I am just putting the finishing touches on my

Both my friend then and Whitman now (particularly the latter) laughing at this sally.

What do I not remember of my own dear, dear mother!" Then he asked, "And Wallace is gone?

I had said in my letter to Ingersoll that Wallace had come from us both.

"But it is rather out of my line." "What, to speak?" "Yes." "Oh! jump overboard.

It stirs the cockle of my blood to read the nice things you say of me."

Have you some of my poetry in your memory?" exclaimed the aged poet.

He watched me closely as I worked: I was on my knees on the floor: the room was in a sort of half light

"It was my grandfather," he remarked, "who best knew Hicks: they hobnobbed together in their young days

: but my father had met him—known him—also, as he did Thomas Paine: I myself saw Hicks: what is more,

Here he paused an instant, then he said earnestly: "Had I all my faculties now, my literary power, the

Am laid up just now with a kick from my horse—luckily nothing very bad—he struck me (accidentally in

I said it was in this line I projected my magazine article.

I put in: "Yes—my purpose is, to start off with Symonds' passage, elevating L. of G.Leaves of Grass above

"I have a card from Aggie" (my sister) "on which she announces her marriage." "So, she is married.

Still inquires after my progress with manuscript.

Interested to know of my going to "Richelieu" tonight.

My dear Traubel:Today, I received from W. W. some poems on Old Age, for The Arena.

BakerAlso, serious letter from Bucke:London, 23 Nov 1890 My dear HoraceI have yours of 20 & 21 inst.

request, generally, from the female applicants—no less, in fact, than that I should add a sentiment to my

Harned: "Reinhalter was in today—came to my office. Then he went out to see Moore.

Harned: "That was my position.

I said my question was: Do I want to go back to it? W. approving.

My inquiry then was: "Then you don't like Brown?" "No.

"No," he said, "but I have my eye out sharply for it: it seems as if it must be there in the mix—yet

W. said: "My father had been an acceptor of Paine: Paine had been much vilified."

My dear Mr.

—my figure?"

The subject had been started by my use of the word "dive"—an oyster "dive."

The word saloon came into use first to my knowledge in this country fifty years or so ago through a novel

This morning's mail had brought me proof of introduction from Truth Seeker, which I mailed to W. on my

My purse and my heart are yours!" W. exclaimed, "How grand! How quick!

On top of all my other troubles and labors my daughter Clare considered it "de rigueur" to give a ball

My work is done. Nothing remains now but to ring the curtain down."

My good-bye and his rather more than usually affectionate.

"My best love for all the boys at the club." Tuesday, November 17, 1891

"If anybody asks you give them my love: tell them I feel better to-daytoday than I have felt any day

He gave me a letter which I did n'tdidn't read at the moment but put into my pocket and found on the

"The great party of those days was the Know-Nothing party: it was rather before my time that they were

Dear Walt Whitman:I have received your book and Ms. and send, with my hearty thanks, a New York check

My Captain! I want to learn it to speak in school."