University of Virginia Library

Search this document 


  

expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
collapse section 
  
  
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 
expand section 

expand section 

Whitman's review begins: "Herewith are presented, in advance of their publication, sufficiently copious extracts from Walt Whitman's new volume of poems, 'Two Rivulets,' to give a fair and pretty full summary of it. The book is an intertwining of the author's characteristic verse, alternated throughout with prose; and hence the name." In the article, Whitman, with considerable journalistic skill, excerpts significant passages from Two Rivulets. First he quotes from the Preface two paragraphs (pp. 5-6)[4] which explain his purpose in this miscellaneous collection of prose and poetry. Then he reprints his title poem "Two Rivulets" (p. 15) and the second poem "Or from that Sea of Time" (p. 16).[5] Next appear two more paragraphs from the Preface (pp. 12-13), with the deletion of a quotation from his poem "Eidólons" (pp. 17-20), which he reprints in entirety in the newspaper. Without comment he reprints a prose section entitled "Thoughts for the Centennial" (pp. 16-17), probably because of the topical interest in the Centennial exposition in Philadelphia later in the year. Then, abruptly returning to the biographical, he includes the first stanza of "Out from Behind this Mask" (p. 24). Once again rapidly changing subject matter, but always alternating prose and poetry, Whitman includes a prose section on "Freedom" (pp. 31-32), the poem "To a Locomotive in Winter" (pp. 25-26), and the prose "New Poetry —Prose Grander than Verse" (pp. 28-30, here entitled "New Poetry").

At this point in his review Whitman introduces descriptive material concerning his volume which the ordinary critic probably would have placed at the beginning:

The volume, in its 350 pages, comprises, besides the "Two Rivulets," from which the foregoing extracts are taken, the prose essay, "Democratic Vistas," and the poetical pieces already published under the name of "Passage to India." Quite a large part

244

Page 244
of the book is occupied with Whitman's "Memoranda During the War," in the army hospitals, or down at the front, being given verbatim from the original notes of the time, "blotch'd here and there with more than one blood stain, hurriedly written, sometimes at the clinique, not seldom amid the excitement of uncertainty or defeat or of action, or of getting ready for it, or a march." He says, as he introduces these little note-book mementoes of the war. . . .
Thereupon he quotes three paragraphs from "Memoranda during the War" (pp. 4-5). Then, turning to his 1876 edition of Leaves of Grass, Whitman writes: "We also add a few hitherto unpublished forthcoming pieces from 'Leaves of Grass.' On the new title page of the volume appears the following verse, signed by Whitman's autograph. . . ." He reprints "Come, said my Soul" from the titlepage, "After an Interval" (p. 369), "When the Full-Grown Poet Came" (p. 359), and "The Beauty of the Ship" (p. 247).[6] He concludes his article by quoting again from Two Rivulets: "A Song by the Potomac," which is called "By Broad Potomac's Shore" (p. 16) in the printed book, and "Ship of Democracy," which is the third section of "As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free" (p. 3), also the title of part four of Two Rivulets.

The works quoted in Whitman's article mark first appearances in print which, I believe, have not been previously noted.

The third letter to Reid refers to the publication of Whitman's "A Death-Sonnet for Custer" (later entitled "From Far Dakota's Cañons"), in the Tribune on July 10, 1876.[7]