WALT WHITMAN
Box 1 Folder 10

LITERARY FILE

Prose

American Poets, AMs, n.d.

(LC Catalog #287)WHITMAN (Walt). Famous American Poet. A. Ms.
1 page, folio (made of 3 leaves, oblong 12mo,
pasted end to end), in indelible pencil, n.p., n.d.

An extremely interesting manuscript in
which Whitman comments upon and appraises the
poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. "With the names of
our so-far noblest poets Bryant, Emerson, Whittier,
Longfellow, I should put on the scroll at any
rate immediately below, two others, Edgar Poe
and Bret Harte though the scope of their song is
limited and its direction special." That Poe
should thus be placed below Bryant, Emerson,
Longfellow and Whittier and on the same level
with Harte, is hardly in accord with critical
opinion of today which ranks his name with that
of Whitman and above the rest.

To [] Oct 6 49[If I had need to name my [?roud]]
[land's powerfulest scene]
[I would not be yours N]
With the names of our so far noblest poets
[Bry?ht] Emerson, Whither, Long-
fellow should be put on the
[?roll] at any rate immediately.
[belo??] To others, Edgar Poe and Bret Harle
though the scope of them Long & [Cinuted?] and [?dire?i??] [????c??]
[The ] I have said before that all
poetry is to be welcom'd -- that each of its contributions -- means something
stands for an actual something
(or the hiatus of something which is [more li] always significant) [("All actual 
facts are firme things" was a favorite
maxim of Frederic 'call'd the Great')] -- and
is the expression of the postiveness or
negativeness of somebody or some-
class: Therefore the time and lands may good
naturedly accept even the poetry of
Bayard Taylor, Stedman, Stoddard, Aldrich,
Winter

often fine thoughts, fine incidents
finally express'd