by Walt Whitman
The Return of the Heroes, p. 503: First published in The Galaxy in September 1867 as “A Carol of Harvest for 1867,” the poem found its way into Passage to India (1871) and Two Rivulets (1876). Stanza and section numbers were added in 1871, and the present title was first used in 1881.
There Was a Child Went Forth, p. 509: See note to “There Was a Child Went Forth,” p. 138.
Old Ireland, p. 511: The poem was first published in the New York Leader of November 2, 1861; in its final forum, it was placed in Drum-Taps in 1865.
The City Dead-House, p. 511: Published under this title in the 1867 edition of Leaves of Grass, the poem was subject to very minor revisions through 1881.
This Compost, p. 512: In 1856 this poem was known as “9—Poem of Wonder at The Resurrection of The Wheat.” The title was changed to “Leaves of Grass—4” in 1860, ”This Compost!“ in 1867, and its present title in 1871. Minor revisions (mostly changes in punctuation) were made to it until its 1881 publication.
To a Foil’d European Revolutionaire, p. 514: First published in Leaves of Grass (1856) as “Liberty Poem for Asia, Africa, Europe, America, Australia, Cuba, and the Archipelagoes of the Sea,” the poem became “To a Foiled Revolter or Revoltress” in 1860 and 1867, and received its current title in 1871. Stanza numbers were added in 1860, section numbers in 1871. The poem was subject to revision, and several lines were removed between 1856 and 1860.
Unnamed Lands, p. 516: The poem was published in the 1860 edition under its present title and was subject to minor revisions after 1871. It achieved its final form in 1881.
Song of Prudence, p. 517: Entitled “Poem of the Last Explanation of Prudence” in 1856, the poem became “Leaves of Grass. 5” in 1860 and ”Manhattan’s Streets I Saunter’d Pondering“ in 1865. It gained its present title in 1881. Many of its lines were taken from Whitman’s 1855 ”[Preface].“
The Singer in the Prison, p. 520: First published in the Saturday Evening Visitor on December 25, 1869, the poem was included in the 1871 edition of Passage to India and gained its final revisions for the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
Warble for Lilac-Time, p. 522: First published in The Galaxy in May 1870, the poem appeared in Passage to India (1871) as “Warble for Lilac Time” and lost several lines before achieving its final form in 1881.
Outlines for a Tomb, p. 523: First published in The Galaxy in January 1870 under the title “Brother of All, with Generous Hand,” this poem was written for millionaire philanthropist George Peabody (1795-1869). Whitman included it in Passage to India (1871); he gave it the title “Outlines for a Tomb” and shortened it by several lines for the 1881 edition.
Out from Behind This Mask, p. 525: After first appearing in the New York Tribune in 1876, the poem was published in the “Centennial” Edition of Leaves of Grass (1876) as well as Two Rivulets, a companion volume to Leaves of Grass also published that year. Included in Leaves of Grass (1876) was a portrait engraving of Whitman by W. J. Linton (based on an 1871 photo of the poet taken by G. C. Potter). This portrait was not included in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
Vocalism, p. 526: The 1881 poem is a conflation of two earlier works. “Chants Democratic. 12” of 1860 contributed the first stanza; ”Leaves of Grass. 21” of 1860 is the source of the second. Both stanzas lost lines in the fusion of 1881.
To Him That Was Crucified, p. 528: First published in the “Messenger Leaves” cluster of the 1860 edition, the poem retained its original title and most of its form through republications.
You Felons on Trial in Courts, p. 528: “Leaves of Grass. 13” in 1860, the poem was reduced by several lines and received its present title in 1867.
Laws for Creations, p. 529: “Chants Democratic. 13” in 1860 and ”Leaves of Grass. 3” in 1867, the poem gained its present title in 1871. After 1860 the poem was shortened by several lines.
To a Common Prostitute, p. 530: The poem appeared under this title as one of the “Messenger Leaves” in the 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass. It was not revised for future publications.
I Was Looking a Long While, p. 530: “Chants Democratic. 19” in 1860, the poem received its current title in 1867 and underwent only minor revisions.
Thought, p. 531: “Thoughts. 3” in the 1860 edition, the poem became ”Thought“ in 1871.
Miracles, p. 531: “Poem of Perfect Miracles” in 1856 and “Leaves of Grass. 8” in 1860, the poem took its present title in 1867. Revisions included shortening the poem by eleven lines for the 1881 edition.
Sparkles from the Wheel, p. 532: The poem possessed this title and text when it was first published in Passage to India (1871).
To a Pupil, p. 533: The poem had this title and text upon its first appearance in the “Messenger Leaves” cluster of Leaves of Grass (1860).
Unfolded Out of the Folds, p. 533: First published in Leaves of Grass (1856) as “Poem of Women,” the poem received its present title and final revisions for Leaves of Grass (1871).
What Am I After All, p. 534: “Leaves of Grass. 22” in 1860 and ”Leaves of Grass. 4” in the 1867 annex “Songs before Parting,” the poem gained its present title in Passage to India (1871).
Kosmos, p. 534: Published in Leaves of Grass (186o) under its current title, the poem was subject to minor revisions for its 1867 republication.
Others May Praise What They Like, p. 535: Published under this title in Drum-Taps (1865), the poem underwent minor revisions before achieving its final form in 1881.
Who Learns My Lesson Complete?, p. 535: The eleventh of the twelve original poems in the 1855 edition, the poem became “20—Lesson Poem” in 1856, “Leaves of Grass. 11” in 1860, and ”Leaves of Grass. 3” in 1867, and it achieved its current title in Passage to India (1871). It was heavily revised, especially between the 1855 and 1860 editions.
Tests, p. 537: Published in this form and with this title in Leaves of Grass (1860).
The Torch, p. 537: First published under this title in Drum-Taps (1865), the poem was subject to very minor revision before achieving its final form in 1871.
O Star of France (1870-71), p. 537: First published in The Galaxy in June 1871, the poem was included in As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free and Other Poems (1872), reprinted in Two Rivulets (1876), and revised in Leaves of Grass (1881).
The Ox-tamer, p. 539: Published in the New York Daily Graphic in December 1874, the poem appeared under its current title in Two Rivulets (1876) and achieved its final form for Leaves of Grass (1881).
An Old Man’s Thought of School. For the Inauguration of a Public School, Camden, New Jersey, 1874, p. 540: Published in the New York Daily Graphic of November 1874, the poem was included in Two Rivulets (1876) and revised for inclusion in Leaves of Grass (1881).
Wandering at Morn, p. 540: Published in the New York Daily Graphic in March 1873 as “The Singing Thrush,” the poem was published in Two Rivulets (1876) and under its present title in Leaves of Grass (1881).
Italian Music in Dakota, p. 541: This poem was new to the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
With All Thy Gifts, p. 542: Published in the New York Daily Graphic of March 1873 under this title, and reprinted in Two Rivulets (1876) and Leaves of Grass (1881).
My Picture-Gallery, p. 542: This poem has its beginnings in a pre-1855 notebook entitled “Pictures.” First published in The American on October 30, 1880, the poem was published in Leaves of Grass (1881).
The Prairie States, p. 542: The poem was first published in Leaves of Grass (1881), though the manuscript of the poem was printed in the Art Autograph of May 1880.
Proud Music of the Storm, p. 543: First published in the Atlantic Monthly of February 1869, the poem was included in Passage to India (1871) and Two Rivulets (1876) before becoming part of the “Autumn Rivulets” cluster of Leaves of Grass (1881).
Passage to India, p. 549: First published as the title piece to Passage to India (1871), the poem appeared in Leaves of Grass 1871 and 1872 and in Two Rivulets (1876) before its inclusion in “Autumn Rivulets”
in 1881. The poem was lightly revised after 1871.
Prayer of Columbus, p. 558: First published in Harper’s of March 1874, the poem was included in Two Rivulets (1876) and underwent final revisions for its publication in Leaves of Grass (1881).
The Sleepers, p. 560: See note to “The Sleepers” (p. 109), above.
Transpositions, p. 570: This poem is constructed of three lines taken from “Poem of the Propositions of Nakedness” in the 1856 edition (lines 46, 44, and 22).
To Think of Time, p. 570: Originally the third of the twelve untitled poems in the 1855 edition, this poem was heavily revised before appearing in this version in 1881. Entitled “Burial Poem” in 1856 and “Burial” in 1860 and 1867, it achieved its current title in Passage to India (1871). Stanza numbers were added in 1860, section numbers in 1867.
Whispers of Heavenly Death, p. 577: Whitman first used this title for a cluster of fifteen poems in Passage to India (1871); for the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass, he included five more poems to make up the current eighteen.
Darest Thou Now O Soul, p. 577: Whitman published a series of five poems in the Broadway Magazine of October 1868, together entitled “Whispers of Heavenly Death.” In order, the current titles of the poems as they appear in this cluster are: “Whispers of Heavenly Death”; “Darest Thou Now O Soul”; “A Noiseless Patient Spider”; “The Last Invocation”; and “Pensive and Faltering.” “Whispers of Heavenly Death” was included in Passage to India (1871) and achieved its final form in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
Whispers of Heavenly Death, p. 577: See note to “Darest Thou Now O Soul,” above. The poem remained unchanged from its inclusion in Passage to India (1871) to its 1881 incarnation here.
Chanting the Square Deific, p. 578: Originally written for Sequel to Drum-Taps (1865-1866), this poem was lightly revised before appearing in its final version in 1881.
Of Him I Love Day and Night, p. 580: Originally “Calamus. 17,” the poem was retitled “Of Him I Love Day and Night” for the 1867 edition, with minor revisions made to its text between its 1860 and 1871 publications.
Yet, Yet, Ye Downcast Hours, p. 581: The poem of three stanzas and with the current title first appeared in the original “Whispers of Heavenly Death” cluster of Passage to India (1871). The second and third stanzas have their root in sections five and six of the 1860 poem “Debris.”
As if a Phantom Caress’d Me, p. 582: Like “Yet, Yet, Ye Downcast Hours,” this poem has roots in the 1860 poem “Debris” (the final section). “As if a Phantom Caress’d Me” took its final title and form in 1867.
Assurances, p. 582: First appearing as the sixteen-line “Faith Poem” in 1856, the poem was revised for the 1860 and 1867 editions before appearing in its final form in the “Whispers of Heavenly Death” cluster in Passage to India (1871).
Quicksand Years, p. 583: First published in Drum-Taps (1865), the poem took its final title and form in the “Whispers of Heavenly Death” cluster of Passage to India (1871).
That Music Always Round Me, p. 583: “Calamus. 21” in 1860, the poem took on its present form and title in 1867, and appeared in the cluster ”Whispers of Heavenly Death“ in Passage to India (1871).
What Ship Puzzled at Sea, p. 584: The first four lines of “Calamus. 31” in 1860, the poem was published in 1867, 1871, and 1876, but assumed its present title only for the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
A Noiseless Patient Spider, p. 584: One of the five poems published in the Broadway Magazine of October 1868 (see above note to “Darest Thou Now O Soul,” p. 577), the poem was included in Passage to India (1871) and underwent its final revisions for the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
O Living Always, Always Dying, p. 584: “Calamus. 27” in 1860, the poem took its present title and form in 1867.
To One Shortly to Die, p. 585: Published with the current title in Leaves of Grass (1860), the poem achieved its final form in Passage to India (1871).
Night on the Prairies, p. 585: “Leaves of Grass. 15” in 1860 and ”Leaves of Grass. 3” in 1867, the poem achieved its current title and form in Passage to India (1871).
Thought, p. 586: This poem was the fifth in a series of poems entitled “Thoughts” in 1860 and 1867. It was first included in the cluster “Whispers of Heavenly Death” in 1881.
The Last Invocation, p. 587: One of the five poems published in the Broadway Magazine of October 1868 (see above note to “Darest Thou Now O Soul,” p. 577), the poem was included in Passage to India (1871), Leaves of Grass (1872), Two Rivulets (1876), and Leaves of Grass (1881) without revisions.
As I Watch’d the Ploughman Ploughing, p. 587: Published with this title and in its final form in Passage to India (1871).
Pensive and Faltering, p. 587: One of the five poems published in the Broadway Magazine of October 1868 (see above note to “Darest Thou Now O Soul,” p. 577), the poem was included in Passage to India (1871), Leaves of Grass (1872), Two Rivulets (1876), and Leaves of Grass (1881).
Thou Mother with Thy Equal Brood, p. 588: This work has its beginnings as “As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free,” a commencement poem Whitman delivered at Dartmouth College on June 26, 1872. He published this poem and six others the same year, in a small volume of the same title; in 1876 the cluster “As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free” was published as part of Two Rivulets. The poem was revised, expanded, and given the title “Thou Mother with Thy Equal Brood” in Leaves of Grass (1881).
A Paumanok Picture, p. 594: These seven lines first became a poem for the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass. From Leaves of Grass (1856) to Leaves of Grass (1876), they served as the eighth canto of “Salut au Monde.”
From Noon to Starry Night, p. 595: This cluster of twenty-two poems was new to the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass, as was the “Autumn Rivulets” cluster. Five of the poems are new to Leaves of Grass, and the others are taken from seven different editions, though a majority of them were written in the 1870s.
Thou Orb Aloft Full-Dazzling, p. 595: First published in The American on June 4, 1881, as “A Summer Invocation,” the poem was published with its current title in Leaves of Grass (1881).
Faces, p. 596: This poem was originally the sixth of the twelve poems in Leaves of Grass (1855)‘ “Poem of Faces” in 1856, “A Leaf of Faces” in 1867, and finally “Faces” in 1881, it achieved its final form for the 1881 edition.
The Mystic Trumpeter, p. 600: First published in Kansas Magazine in February 1872, the poem was one of seven poems in the 1872 annex “As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free” (1872). It appeared in its final form in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
To a Locomotive in Winter, p. 603: This popular favorite was first published in the New York Daily Tribune of February 19, 1876, then in Two Rivulets (1876) and Leaves of Grass (1881) without revision.
O Magnet-South, p. 604: Published as “Longings from Home” in Leaves of Grass (1860), the poem received its final form and present title in Leaves of Grass 1881.
Mannahatta, p. 606: Included in the 1860, 1867, and 1871 editions of Leaves of Grass, this poem appeared in 1881 with three final lines substituting for seven original lines (see endnote 100 to the “Death- bed” Edition).
All Is Truth, p. 607: “Leaves of Grass. 18” in 1860 and ”Leaves of Grass. 1” in the “Songs before Parting” annex to Leaves of Grass (1867), the poem achieved its current title in 1871.
A Riddle Song, p. 608: A new poem for the 1881 edition, “A Riddle Song” was first published in Forney’s Progress on April 17, 1880.
Excelsior, p. 609: “Poem of the Heart of the Son of Manhattan Island” in 1856 and “Chants Democratic. 15” in 1860, the poem gained its present title in 1867. It was revised until its publication in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
Ah Poverties, Wincings, and Sulky Retreats, p. 610: First appearing in Sequel to Drum-Taps (1865-1866), the poem was republished with only one minor revision through all later editions up to 1881.
Thoughts, p. 610: First titled “Thought” in 1860
and 1867, the poem gained its current title in 1871.
Mediums, p. 611: “Chants Democratic. 16” in 1860, this poem gained its present title in the 1867 edition and also appeared in Passage to India in 1871 before inclusion in the 1881 Leaves of Grass.
Weave in, My Hardy Life, p. 611: First published in Drum-Taps (1865), the poem was only slightly revised before achieving its final form in 1881.
Spain, 1873-74, p. 612: First appearing in the New York Daily Graphic of March 24, 1873, the poem was reprinted in Two Rivulets (1876) before inclusion in the 1881 edition of Leaves of Grass.
By Broad Potomac’s Shore, p. 612: Published under this title in As a Strong Bird on Pinions Free (1872), the poem was also included in Two Rivulets (1876) before appearing in Leaves of Grass (1881).