Walt Whitman; eyewitness to Lincoln’s second inaugural

 

Walt Whitman -NY Times 3-12-1865 pg 5

 

The attached is a PDF of an article by Walt Whitman in The New York Times of April 12, 1865.

Note the hints (foreshadowings) of Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” “The Western Star, in the earlier hours of the evening, has never been so large, so clear; it seems as if it told something, as if it held rapport indulgent with humanity, with us Americans.”

 

— posted by Roger W. Smith

   July 2021

2 thoughts on “Walt Whitman; eyewitness to Lincoln’s second inaugural

  1. haycarolyahoocom

    What a wonderfully written article with very moving, beautifully descriptive passages and such astute, poetic observations. Can you imagine ANYONE writing such an article about a president’s inauguration today?

  2. Roger W. Smith

    Carol — I agree. Your comment is right on target. About 25 years ago, when I was getting into Whitman deeply, I read his collected prose works (also letters of his). His prose affected me deeply and I wanted to imitate it. It is supple, unaffected, and straightforward, wonderfully so.

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