Bucke, once again aided by the Whitman, even offers a far more active depiction of your poet working: “Early in 1855 he was writing Renders out-of Lawn out of time to go out, getting it fit
Whitman themselves, late in his existence, spoke occasionally together with his young buddy Horace Traubel about 
the destroyed manuscripts of one’s very first Simply leaves off Yard. Into the 1891 (during the a discussion perhaps not wrote until 1996), Whitman reminisced regarding the early versions inside an effective means: Bucke most likely does not know that long way back, through to the ‘Leaves’ got actually visited the brand new printer ink, I got her or him in two a dozen variations -huge, shorter, recast, outcast, pulled aside, come up with-watching them out of each and every part We understood – even within history not getting him or her together and you may out which have one idea that they need to eternally remain intact. (WWC, 8:351) Right here Whitman appears to recommend that he has got been withholding facts actually out of their friend and you will loyal disciple Bucke (perhaps he has got forgotten that Bucke currently utilized in their biography new comment about four items of your own guide), but right here the form of men and women “MS. doings and undoings” appears way more liquid and you will fragmentary: “recast, outcast, drawn aside, come up with.” About three products, four versions, half dozen products: the true count may not be known, and nature of your own “versions” can’t ever getting completely computed. Most of the we ultimately can also be learn, due to the fact Roger Asselineau seen in the brand new 1950s, is that the development of one’s first Makes “was a reduced growth with quite a few complex transfers and that we could imagine in the, but it was impossible to own lack of records to follow along with in detail or entirely reconstruct.
Very biographies and you may critical training finesse the difficulty of Whitman’s process off writing the first Simply leaves from Grass by the it comes vaguely so you’re able to new today-forgotten “manuscript” on the guide
“The fresh new manuscript” concerns feel having biographers a convenient label getting a believed finally handwritten “printer’s duplicate” out-of Departs, as well as the term has some basis during the Whitman’s very own meanings. Into the a few times later in the lives, the guy stated “the manuscript” to help you Traubel: “You have got questioned me questions about brand new manuscript of your own first version. It had been burnt. Rome [brand new printer ink] remaining it a decade, however, eventually, unintentionally, they got away from united states totally-was utilized in order to kindle the fresh flame or even to provide brand new rag man” (WWC, 1:92). Some other date, Whitman appreciated you to “[t]he basic manuscript duplicate of one’s Makes-1855-the initial edition-is fully gone-irretrievably lost-went along to the brand new ragman: . . . But We generate absolutely nothing of that-of the money value of the new manuscripts-attach zero strengths to curios” (WWC, 2:56). Once he produced men and women comments, however, he had been hit because of the how copies of one’s very first release out of Departs came into existence collectors’ points and you will was indeed offering having large prices, and he got started initially to realize exactly how valuable this new 1855 manuscript would have been had he kept it: “The debt collectors try distended into curio notice however, in my opinion the newest cravings are unwholesome,” the guy said, whilst the guy went on to consider the way the money he might secure away from such as for example “curios” manage let your take care of their psychologically incapacitated brother Eddy: “And yet, . . . getting Eddy’s benefit it will be wise for my situation in order to husband instance articles” (WWC, 2:56).
It is hard, on such basis as people biographical pictures out-of Whitman, to visualize him indeed composing four otherwise six over drafts regarding Renders. Whenever we must visualize him in the act off writing and you can revising, actually, i’ve little or no research to go on. Their sister George provides one of the few latest reports regarding their very early composing activities, along with his recall out of Walt was scarcely of controlled wordsmith: “He would sit abed late, and you will after waking up do establish a couple of hours if the guy got the idea-maybe would come off other day. We had been most of the where you work-the except Walt” (Traubel 1893, 35). Blogged at opera, on the street, on ferry-vessel, within sea-side, regarding sphere, often stopped try to create. Certainly no book was ever more personally authored out-of traditions impulses and you may impromptu views, much less about abstract” (Bucke 1883, 25-6).