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and I thought it my Duty to answer it soo soon as possible.

the Compliment hopping hoping that this Letter will find you in the Best of spirits and helth health my

Thanks for your letter, statement of acc't. account , of my books Leaves of Grass &c. which have just

Forty One Dollars, fifty-four cents, on acc't of sales of my books, in 1873.

431 Stevens street Camden Nov 21 My dear Herbert I had a safe little jaunt home yesterday afternoon —

Upon talking more fully with my sister about the colored woman Rosy, I am convinced she would not do

If there is I will do it if it is in my power.

My Wife is quite sick and has been for the past two weeks. The Children are all well as usual.

Camden NJ U S America Sept: 8 '90 Y'r kind letter rec'd & I have enc'd it in my letter to Dr Bucke to–day—I

continue well as usual of late—had melon & rye bread for my breakfast—fair appetite—have just written

or different with me—am pretty well & writing—get out doors & down to river side almost daily—make my

(I dont like that Illustrated News one—it looks a little foxy ) —I send my love, remembrance &c to Dr

My dear friends, John R. & Rebecca B.

I wonder if you either of you have any idea how the otherwise monotony of my Camden existence has been

"Yes," he said, "this is my first visit, properly speaking, to Canada, although I was at Niagara Falls

comradeship—friendship is the good old word—the love of my fellow-men.

As to the form of my poetry, I have rejected the rhymed and blank verse.

everything of the kind from my books."

I said, 'Perhaps not, my dear, in the way you mean, and yet maybe it is the same thing.'"

perhaps in a day or two I may be able to render them in a better shape, when I write again to tell you of my

Here health I bring you in one draught of song Caught in my rhymster's cup from earth's delight Where

I had these letters in my pocket when I saw him today. Letter three he had me read aloud.

"I rely a good deal upon my general feeling about a piece when it comes back to me in type."

Sometimes I think he is a little afraid of my friends.

That is my habit—they call it my procrastination—it has always been my habit.

And while my friends always declare that I have lost much by it—my best opportunities, even—I feel for

If you had followed my original notion—which has not been my notion since—and had got it out at once,

"That is my price to Dave, and this man shall have the like favor."

I have met him—years ago, in Brooklyn—perhaps several times—and my impression of him then was what it

"I am almost strong tonight—this has been my best day in five weeks." Mitchell over today.

to be the habit of some of the papers—some do it still when they want to fling themselves—to refer my

illness back to my dissipations.

in its literature, stands by the French—insists upon French supremacy: and William, you know, of all my

It took me some time to get down, or up, to my proper measure—to take my own measure—that is, a long

to send you two prose books of Carpenter's which I have lately read & like immensely.Please to give my

If Walt is well enough to heed, give him my dearest & tenderest love—always the same.

Give him my warmest love & tell him I am again in my little skiff coasting up & down his shores.

"Yes, my best respects!

Held my hand warmly on departure. "Bless you, boy! This is a hard monotony to bear!"

to the papers as a literary item—that part of it, at least—those eight or ten lines—in which I make my

As I have said to you before, the point is, to substitute this for all other editions—to make of it my

I ache for news—for the best things from all the fellows: it is my balm, after lying here, unvarying

I could have wept and laughed, with the conflict of my feelings.

Long have I kept my road—made my road: long, long!

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.

W. said, "I have had several visitors here today—one of them causing one of the funniest things in my

At any rate I did not see him—sent my excuses down by Mary.

He came straight over here to where I sat—my hands extended—shook hands with me, looked about the room

Good-bye My Fancy cover-page Anne Montgomerie Traubel.Horace L.

Traubel,First, my congratulations on your marriage.

And I renew my original proposal—that just as soon as you can fix the date, you come & spend the Sunday

with me, not to be my guest only, while here, but I am to pay all of the cost of the journey.

You come on my business, & at my request, & indeed we won't get on without the conference.

I hope that you can arrange to come while my sister Mrs.

I sent it.Now I must say good by.And don't fail to note my meaning.

A few minutes, too, with my mother, and some parleying at the Post Office.

My father would not come here, though he went to Harleigh.

(My heart smote me: his last ride—now, into the rift and mystery!)

My daughter & his second daughter, Helen, were intimate friends, & from my sister, Mrs.

my name, & that is what I did not like to do.

My people knew not of my coming—none but my brother's wife, to whom I confided my purpose, lest they

My sister fell!

"One day my sister was missing.

He accepted my challenge.

I was blinded by my hate for my sister's betrayer.

"The past 3 or 4 days," he said, "have not been my worst, I have not been in my worst condition: so that

Three or four days will tell the tale—I shall soon know my man.

He will have to learn the ways—my ways, the ways of the place, people. We'll see, we'll see!"

"Happily, I am spending one of my good periods now—until the man, any man—he or any other—gets into the

However, those few lines will at least serve as an unambiguous testimony of my deep and true devotion

eyes.Ever yours sincerely and affectionatelyEdward Bertz W. remarked: "I am well aware of it, that my

I had with me, a rough manuscript of my book matter, and read to him from it, here and there.

British readers," and I replied that in making up the volume I was not seeking to please anybody—that my

plan was, the matter having been put in my charge, to give what I thought the most fitting record of

His own speech is to me just the thing—his voice just the right pitch for my ears."

W. said now, upon my questioning if there could have been the least idea there of resenting the aid of

I said my explanation of it as only of general meaning—having rather to do with the abstract view of

No one can know it as I know it—not my nearest friends of the old days—not even William O'Connor, not

Kendal interview, over which, as Harned puts it: "Walt came up to my house and drank with me a glass

He had just been turned on my arrival, so I went in, the room black enough.

But he must have been awake, tiptoeing it as I did, and knew my step or somehow knew I was here.

After he recovered he finished my name and we shook hands.

On my questioning saying, "I have spent a dreadful day, seemingly to get deeper and deeper into the mire

and pressing my other hand, which he held.Johnston sends me a couple of Bolton papers in which are notes

But say, I am here tonight, in my bed, cheerful if not comfortable, with hope up again, though with entire

recognition of the gravity of my condition."

Give him—give her—my love, sympathy. Poor woman, too—she particularly: my heart goes out to her."

Reminded me, "My copy of Poet-Lore came today. Shall I send it to Bucke?"

.: "I suppose—anything—any change to a man in my condition is comfort." After a pause.

He held my hand warmly, and I could feel its grasp loosen and fasten from time to time.H.L.T.: "I sent

He held my hands tightly—twice saying almost in a whisper, "God bless you, boy: God bless you—bless you

Chubb could not have heard, and it shook my heart. Then the final good night and kiss and escape.

was his parting and my own was silence.Now again to Philadelphia and not back to 328 till ten.

He asked my opinion, which, as I told him, had not been the Doctor's.

Then at last I stand to my own stubborn guns, for somewhere in me is the last unbendingness which must

And when I laughed and said I had written something of this sort in my paper, and spoke of Grant as of

"Yes," he remarked, "it is wholly unsatisfactory and not very gracious, either: sets me down for my worst

Is about to go to New York, where he will see Johnston.I told him my sister Agnes would be married on

I sit in my room here—my den, my little corner—and wonder—wonder." I asked after his health.

the first two pages to me as a series: they have done it for Tennyson, for Swinburne, for others to my

"His 89 years are a marvel to me—excite my wonder.

We talked freely together for 20 minutes or half an hour.He saw a book in my hand—questioned what it

My objection that The Vicar of Wakefield and Consuelo were books not to be compared, "not to be classed

The Quaker Traits of Walt Whitman," of which I spoke to W., who expressed so much curiosity I got on my

Speaks rather indignantly of the insistence of the papers that he has "gone out and selected his [my]

I have had my curiosity aroused on this point.

Saturday, June 27, 1891A couple of postals from Reeder acquiescing in my plan.

That would be my plan. I have been talking with Horace about it."

Had I my legs as once, it wouldn't be but a little skip for me.

piece off, "I want you to take it—I think Mary Davis makes the best bread ever was—the best: it is my

chief dependence, pride, nowadays, when I have to be so careful what I do with my belly!"

On my way to Phila. Shall be able despite doubts to go to N.Y. tomorrow.

But that shows a misconception of my mission on this earth, which is not to be catspaw under whatever

issues of time, or to claim that which is not my own, or to play fool—as would be palpably the case

for me to print under my own name an article which any astute man would at once see was his by fingermarks

I had left on my first trip the old scrap-book containing Ingersoll's "Burns."

My nights are better than my days—I sleep, after a fashion.

And if my 'Leaves' have failed here they have failed altogether.

My work is well known in England & I possess the highest possible testimonials regarding it from Cardinal

yoursRaymond BlathwaytI might add that Lord Tennyson lives in the parish in the I. of Wight of which my

Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem, I whisper with my lips close to your

O I have been dilatory and dumb, I should have made my way straight to you long ago, I should have blabbed

paint myriads of heads, but paint no head with- out without its nimbus of gold-colored light, From my

Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you, that you be my poem, I whisper with my lips close to your

O I have been dilatory and dumb, I should have made my way straight to you long ago, I should have blabbed

light, But I paint myriads of heads, but paint no head without its nimbus of gold-colored light, From my

My dear M r Whitman, Thank you for the kind thought which sent me the newspaper containing good news

under all feeling which the fact of your illness produces lies the one feeling (which the growth of my

Burroughs would be willing to take the trouble; (& he would add to my gain if he would mention to me

My wife joins with mine her love & both go to you together. We are well.

It has always seemed to me more my proper work than prose, but if a sufficient experiment proves the

Attorney Gen'l , has gone on to Philadelphia with wife & child, to spend three or four days—I like my

new boarding place very well, take it altogether — Mother, I am writing this at my table, by the big

Jeff don't say whether you got my last Tuesday's letter, (March 5,) with the envelopes, &c.

very tired, when I arrived home—We don't have dinner till 5 o'clock—but I always take a good lunch in my

please—then I am getting many books for the Library (our office Library) that I have long wanted to read at my

They look at me, and my eyes start out of my head; they speak to me, and I yell with de- light delight

; they touch me, and the flesh crawls off my bones.

heaven, it bears me beyond the stars, I tread upon the air, I sail upon the ether, I spread myself my

O my soul! O your soul, which is no better than my soul, and no worse, but just the same!

O my eye! 1247. These things are not in Webster's Dictionary— Unabridged, Pictorial.

But this catarrhal affection bothers me a good deal—troubles my head."

How Emerson could ever have got spliced to her beats my explanation.

John had not yet had my postal about O'Connor—but writes of him—had read of it in the paper.

I know how keenly you must feel it, and you have my deepest sympathy.

No words come to my pen adequate to express the sense of the loss we have all suffered in the death of

Tom read Clark the Symonds letter upon my recommendation.

My wonder is, is Brinton the man to write a book on that subject?

And my doubt of Brinton would be, not that he could produce a valuable study, but that he would produce

If he has not the book, I should be glad to have him use my copy. Tell him so."

In my time, usually thinner than this—this already is fat."

Called my attention to absence of one of Gutekunst photos.

I said: "Then you think my instinct was right?

But my memory! my memory!"

Asked me about my work at the bank.

his glasses: "I suppose something or other I have needed some day and not found: as with so much of my

My surprise is, not that they feel it or say it among themselves, but that they are damned fools enough

It's the story over again of my woman friend in Washington who complained that whereas her sister, who

My main objection to him, if objection at all, would be, that he is too eulogistic—too flattering.

are in personal relations with him, convey him my hearty though belated congratulations?

In the midst of my reading, others entering, W. suggested I begin over again, which I did.

experiment: I would no more force my reading than my writing.

there are points here which I have not considered—which are not quite familiar table-talk to me—but my

first impression, my original instinct, (I can only give that) is adverse, critical, though not, of

have known so many yet so few—so few with the full equipment—one or two (not more than two) in all my

I said to W.: "I've still got the Rossetti letter in my pocket."

Well, I am holding myself under restraint: as they say out West, I 'hold my horses': perhaps that best

I was in early life very bigoted in my anti-slavery, anti-capital-punishment and so on, so on, but I

But I recognize that nothing can be done without it—therefore I pay my way right through, preferring

to have it understood so at the start—being rather averse to arranging for my books on any other terms

after my reply adding: "I guessed right, anyway. Offer him the one fifty spot cash.

"I do not seem to have the mental grasp: I find my mind unwilling or unable to apply itself to the proofs

manuscripts, as it should, methodically, systematically: I am only imperceptibly if at all regaining my

As he says himself: "The right word won't answer—my tongue gets unruly—I lose my cues.

I picked up a slip of paper from the floor under my feet. W. asked: "What is that?"

He smiled: "Read it—my eyes are no good." The sheet contained this: "Mem for Life.

In my usual round found W. had passed a pretty good night.

Was not asleep and I went in, shook hands with him, and wished him my good morning, as he wished me his

In next room stopped to read my mail, which I had just received at Post Office, and contained letters

He is quite a brook but Whitman is a Mississippi that runs through all lands.Give my love to the brave

I did not stay much beyond this—yet he held my hand, on "good-bye," in such a way, I took my disengaged

"It is very good of them: say, I respond to it—give them my love."

And to my "yes" he inquired, "What line does he write on?"

And after my reply and my saying that "they all seem to be coming round," he faintly laughed (and choked

My love goes out to him!"

"That is right: that is my habit."

More and more he grows in my favor. He has solid virtues—is wise—knows his trade.

He joked about it and said, "That only shows that in the future I must set my price to a higher key."

I made some comparison of "Good-Bye My Fancy" and "Sands at Seventy."

Of my good words for the former W. exclaimed, "Is it so? Is that the feeling?"

Dick Stoddard, my first guess—I would be willing to swear to it—or one like him.

With my bundle and Bush (Bush having brought bundle to office) we hastened the several doors to Ingersoll's

My ire was stirred. Give him my name! He will see nobody! Give him my name—Traubel! He is busy.

Take my name to him—yes—you must—he will see me.

And to complete the fall, Baker at this instant entered from the hall, came eagerly forward, grasped my

"Give my love to the old man. But never mind—I shall see you again!"

I say to my own greatness, Away!

outward" (1855, p. 51). may be related to a similar phrase in the poem eventually titled "Who Learns My

in the 1856 edition of Leaves of Grass : "The best I had done seemed to me blank and suspicious, / My

—I doubt whether who my greatest thoughts, as I had supposed them, are not shallow.

—My pride is impotent; my love gets no response.

But first let me explain part of my head-line.

"But I, for my poems—What have I? I have all to make .

I wish to see my benefactor, and have felt much like striking my tasks and visiting New York to pay you

my respects.

My enemies discover fancy ones.

make the only growth by which I can be appreciated, I reject none, accept all, then reproduce all in my

What is this you bring my America? Is it uniform with my country?

Will it absorb into me as I absorb food, air, to appear again in my strength, gait, face?

rapt verse, my call, mock me not!

You by my charm I invoke.

make the only growth by which I can be appreciated, I reject none, accept all, then reproduce all in my

What is this you bring my America? Is it uniform with my country?

Will it absorb into me as I absorb food, air, to appear again in my strength, gait, face?

rapt verse, my call, mock me not!

You by my charm I invoke.