Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-08-13
" alt Whitman.

wan
Walt Whitman is about to publish a new
( volume containing his later writings in
/ prose and verse. lie Is now living, an in
valid, 10 Camden, n j. In January, lo72
he had slight paralytic stroke, from which
he never recovered sufficiently TO return to
work in Washington but shortly after
ward suffered such degree Of mental and
| physical prostrati0n that he Is obliged TO
! live quietly. and without much exertion.
The new volume will have the title " Two
Rlyuleis.' About ono-third OF 1t Will be
new. Some friend. communicating these
facts 10 The Springfield Republican. rehea1sas
the astonishing praises that have been be-
slowed on " Leaves Of Grass By lenny-
son. Emerson, trellIgrath, and Others, but
the most Interesting portion OF the letter l.
his report OF Whitman : own Conversations
concerning his works and his place in liter
ature. "a follows
Let me give an idea Of Whitman from his
own living talk. Some time since, | heard
MIN, answering an lnquiry, make the fol-
lowing remarks IN cOnverSatlOn-remArksl
took ;he liberty 90. writing down immedi-
ately aiterward " Well, III suggest to
you what NY poems have grown ont of.
know as well a. any one they are ambitious
and egotIsilcal. But hope the foundations
are far deeper We have to-day no songs.
no expres>lOn, from the highest poet : ant
artists point. or from the eternal magma
tI0n point. OF science and democracy. and
OF the modern. The waIli ke spirit Of the
antique world and lts typical heroes and
pers1nages have been tuly depicted and
preserved IN Homer. Kapt ecstacy aud On
entail yenerati0n are in the Bible. the liter
ature OF those qualities will never, can
u.aarN btrhar Tho #
alism and European chIvalry, through their
results in personnel, are in Shakespeare.
But where l. the work. where the poem. in
which the entirely different but fully equal
glOrIes and practice Of our own democratic
age, the modern. are held in soluti0n-are
fused in the human personality and emo
tlOn-and are fully expressi0ned? If, for
Instance. by some vast cJryuiSi0n. the great
scientific, ,materlaistic and political embOdi-
ments OF to-day in America, and the ami
mating spirit of them, were totally over
whe.med and lost. where Is the poem Or
hrst-c.a>s ae-thetic WORK In any department
which, II saved from the wreck. would pre-
serve those advanced characteristic memo
rle- OF to-day t. succeeding worlds OF men -
\; another ZINE heard him say "lou
speak OF Shakespeare, and the relative poet
ical tnd historical demands and opp0rtunl-
ties then and now-my own included.
Shakespeare had his boundless, rich mater
ial, all hi~ characters waiting to be woven
in The feudal world had been, had grown.
had richly ilourished for centurie--Geye
him the perit King. the lord, the finished
gentleman. all that l. heroic and gallant.
and graceful and proud, and beautiful and
7 refined gave HIM the exquisite and seduc-
tive trau>hguration of ca,te-si;ted and
him. choice specimen, of noble gentlemen,
and gave tIem t. him-gave him all the
varied and romantic incidents of the mill
tary, civil, political and ecclesiastical his
tory OF q thousand years. All stood up,
ready. as it were. TO fall into the ranks for
him Then the time comes for the sunset
of feudali-m. \ new power has appeared
and the flush, the pOmp. the accumulated
material of those ages haveall the gorgeous
ness of sunset. At this time Shakespeare
appears BY amazing Opportuness, his
faculty, his power. his personal circum-
stances come-and he Is their poet.
- But |, for nay pOems-what have /? |
have all 10 make The feudal poet. as say,
was the finder and user of materials, char
acters, all ready Tor MIN /; bat have really
to make all, except my own inspiration and
intentions, have to map out, fashion, form
and knit and sing the ideal American.
Shakespeare and all sang tie past. pro-
ect the future-depend on the future for
my audience"
At another time {" know perfectly
well my road i different Most of the great
poets are impersonal am personal. They
portray characters, events, passions, but
never mention themselves. Ia my poems all
revolves around. concentrates in, radiates
from myself have but one central figure,
the general human personality typifed in
myself. But my book compels. absolutely
necessities, every reader to transpOse himself
or herself into that central position, and
become the living fountain, actor, expert
encer. himselt or herself, OF every page,
every aspiration. every line