FEINBERG/WHITMAN LITERARY FILE POETRY FILE "A Twilight Song" (1890). Proof Sheets. Box 30 Folder 18 Includes A.MS.S. notations. [*This paper pull [30 imp] 40 impressions ab't 23 with the name at bottom & then the rest blank — paper ab't this size*] [*air's*] [*sea's*] A TWILIGHT SONG. As I sit in twilight late alone by the flickering oak-flame, Musing on long-past war-scenes—of the countless buried unknown soldiers, Of the vacant names, as unindented air's and sea's --the unreturn'd, The brief truce after battle, with grim burial-squads, and the deep-fill'd trenches Of gather'd dead from all America, North, South, East, West, whence they came up, From wooded Maine, New-England's farms, from fertile Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, From the measureless West, Virginia, the South, the Carolinas, Texas, (Even here in my room-shadows and half-lights in the noiseless flickering flames. Again I see the stalwart ranks on-filing, rising _ I hear the rhythmic tramp of the armies[:];) You million unwrit names all, all _ you dark bequest from all the war, A special verse for you[,] – a flash of duty long neglected _ your mystic roll strangely gather'd here, Each name recall'd by me from out the darkness and death's ashes, Henceforth to be, deep, deep with my heart recording, for many a future year, Your mystic roll entire of unknown names or North or South, Embalm'd [in] with love in this twilight song. WALT WHITMAN. [Walt Whitman] [*Which paper do you prefer? They are the same in quality -- this a little darkest, but supposed to be the best. They differ in size, and [therefore ] cut, respectively the size of specimen.*] 1718 1890 May A Twilight Song: Proof with Notation. A.MS. (3p. 20 1/4 x 18 1/2 cm.) Written in ink at the bottom of a proof of 'A Twilight Song', a 15-line poem, with printed signature, 5 words: Century N Y May 1890 Another proof, earlier, does not have the printed signature, nor any MS material by whitman. Third copy, with printed signature, with notation by Traubel (See Notes April 30 1890), 11 words: for Horace Traubel f'm the author Century N Y May 1890 430 1891 A Twilight Song: poem (proofs & A.MS. s corrections). 2p. 20 1/2 x 17 cm. and 21 x 19 cm. Written in blue pencil and (reading downwards) in ink on a proof of 'A Twilight Song', 6 corrections, note to printer, and a query on paper, 62 words, signed. Other proof, after corrections without marginalia or corrections. Corrections: 1. 3, airs and seas to air's and sea's 4, insert comma after battle 9, semicolon for colon at end 11, dash for comma after you 15, in love to with love At top: this paper pull [30 imp] 40 impressions ab't 25 with the name at bottom & the rest blank--paper ab't this size At bottom (smeared): Walt Whitman [over] 431 At side: Which paper do you prefer? They are the same in quality-- this a little darke[st]r, but supposed to be the best. They differ in size, and [therefore] cut respectively the size of specimen. A TWILIGHT SONG. As I sit in twilight late alone by the flickering oak-flame, Musing on long-past war-scenes—of the countless buried unknown soldiers, Of the vacant names, as unindented air's and sea's --the unreturn'd, The brief truce after battle, with grim burial-squads, and the deep-fill'd trenches Of gather'd dead from all America, North, South, East, West, whence they came up, From wooded Maine, New-England's farms, from fertile Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, From the measureless West, Virginia, the South, the Carolinas, Texas, (Even here in my room-shadows and half-lights in the noiseless flickering flames, Again I see the stalwart ranks on-filing, rising _ I hear the rhythmic tramp of the armies;) You million unwrit names all, all _ you dark bequest from all the war, A special verse for you _ a flash of duty long neglected _ your mystic roll strangely gather'd here, Each name recall'd by me from out the darkness and death's ashes, Henceforth to be, deep, deep with my heart recording, for many a future year, Your mystic roll entire of unknown names, or North or South, Embalm'd with love in this twilight song. WALT WHITMAN. [*See Note*] [*April 30*] [*1890*] [*for Horace Traubel*] [*f'm the author*] A TWILIGHT SONG. As I sit in twilight late alone by the flickering oak-flame, Musing on long-past war-scenes—of the countless buried unknown soldiers, Of the vacant names, as unindented air's and sea's --the unreturn'd, The brief truce after battle, with grim burial-squads, and the deep-fill'd trenches Of gather'd dead from all America, North, South, East, West, whence they came up, From wooded Maine, New-England's farms, from fertile Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, From the measureless West, Virginia, the South, the Carolinas, Texas, (Even here in my room-shadows and half-lights in the noiseless flickering flames, Again I see the stalwart ranks on-filing, rising _ I hear the rhythmic tramp of the armies;) You million unwrit names all, all _ you dark bequest from all the war, A special verse for you _ a flash of duty long neglected _ your mystic roll strangely gather'd here, Each name recall'd by me from out the darkness and death's ashes, Henceforth to be, deep, deep with my heart recording, for many a future year, Your mystic roll entire of unknown names, or North or South, Embalm'd with love in this twilight song. WALT WHITMAN. [*Century NY May 1890*] A TWILIGHT SONG. As I sit in twilight late alone by the flickering oak-flame, Musing on long-past war-scenes – of the countless buried unknown soldiers, Of the vacant names, as unindented air's and sea's -- the unreturn'd, The brief truce after battle, with grim burial-squads, and the deep-fill'd trenches Of gather'd dead from all America, North, South, East, West, whence they came up, From wooded Maine, New-England's farms, from fertile Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, From the measureless West, Virginia, the South, the Carolinas, Texas, (Even here in my room-shadows and half-lights in the noiseless flickering flames, Again I see the stalwart ranks on-filing, rising _ I hear the rhythmic tramp of the armies;) You million unwrit names all, all _ you dark bequest from all the war, A special verse for you _ a flash of duty long neglected _ your mystic roll strangely gather'd here, Each name recall'd by me from out the darkness and death's ashes, Henceforth to be, deep, deep with my heart recording, for many a future year, Your mystic roll entire of unknown names, or North or South, Embalm'd with love in this twilight song. WALT WHITMAN. [*Century NY May 1890*] A TWILIGHT SONG. As I sit in twilight late alone by the flickering oak-flame, Musing on long-past war-scenes — of the countless buried unknown soldiers, Of the vacant names, as unindented air's and sea's -- the unreturn'd, The brief truce after battle, with grim burial-squads, and the deep-fill'd trenches Of gather'd dead from all America, North, South, East, West, whence they came up, From wooded Maine, New-England's farms, from fertile Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, From the measureless West, Virginia, the South, the Carolinas, Texas, (Even here in my room-shadows and half-lights in the noiseless flickering flames. Again I see the stalwart ranks on-filing, rising _ I hear the rhythmic tramp of the armies;) You million unwrit names all, all _ you dark bequest from all the war, A special verse for you _ a flash of duty long neglected _ your mystic roll strangely gather'd here, Each name recall'd by me from out the darkness and death's ashes, Henceforth to be, deep, deep with my heart recording, for many a future year, Your mystic roll entire of unknown names, or North or South, Embalm'd with love in this twilight song. Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.