FEINBERG/WHITMAN LITERARY FILE Prose "Night" (Apr.8, 1880). A.MS.draft. Box 33 Folder 17 1863 1880 8 April Night: Prose. A.MS. (1p. 18 1/4 x 20 1/4 cm.) Written in pencil, with two corrections in ink, on a sheet of heavy paper (top clipped off), apparently for Specimen Days but not used, 165 words: Night-- April 8 1880 -- [I was] out quite late leisurely enjoying the [cool] calm [bright nigh star] thick starry cloudless, pleasantly cool night, both on [pi] the river, and on shore. At 11, I was attracted by the [great] constellation in unusually complete view, of the Serpent, [stre] undulating, stretching its great line [out] more than half across the heavens, every star visible from head well in the west to tail just up in the east. (No moon--it rises thin and sickly and wan, [and waned] just before daybreak. I saw it lately - [the] a cadaverous, shrunken, dying crescent, [so] incredibly different from the same shape, [when] waxing.) ... A Silvery, lustrous, blonde star Lyra in the north-east--Arcturus well up and flaming - [*over*] April 8 1880 I was out quite late, leisurely enjoying the [cool] calm [bright night's star] starry cloudless, pleasantly cool night, both on [in] the river, and on shore. At 11, I was attracted to the [great] constellation of the Serpent in complete view, undulating, stretching its great line more than half across the heavens, every star visible, from head will in the west to tail just up in the east. (No moon - it was just before daybrink. I saw it lately - a cadaverous, shrunken, dying crescent, [so of] incredibly different from the same shape, waxing) ... Silvery, lustrous, Lyra in the north-east - Arcturus well up and flaming - Castor and Pollux overhead - the constellation of the Sickle - at meridian, too, the loose tresses of Berenice's hair, scattered and sparkling - northwest Capella (unusually bright this season) and the Kids - Casseopiea's Chair, with its big W - the planet Mars [faded] like 18 Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.