FEINBERG/WHITMAN   LITERARY FILE   POETRY FILE   "On Journeys Through the States"(1860).   Proof Sheet.
Box 28  Folder 16

ON JOURNEYS THROUGH THE STATES.

1  ON journeys through the States we start,
We, willing learners of all, teachers of all, and lovers
  of all.

2  We have watched the seasons dispensing themselves,
  and passing on,
We have said, Why should not a man or woman do as
  much as the seasons, and effuse as much?

3  We dwell a while in every city and town;
We pass through Kanada, the north-east, the vast
  valley of the Mississippi, and the Southern
  States;
We confer on equal terms with each of The States,
We make trial of ourselves, and invite men and 
  women to hear;
We say to ourselves, Remember, fear not, be candid,
  promulge the body and the Soul;
Promulge real things—Never forget the equality of
  humankind, and never forget immortality;
Dwell a while and pass on—Be copious, temperate,
  chaste, magnetic,
And what you effuse may then return as the seasons
  return,
And may be just as much as the seasons.[*1738*]

1870 On Journeys Through the States: Proof. (1p. 22 1/4 x 16 1/2 cm.)

Proof of 'On Journeys Through the States', a 13-line poem, first
printed in Passage to India; each of the three stanzas has a small
number in print preceding it 1 at line 1, 2 at line 3, and 3 at
line 5. There is no MS material by Whitman.