The Calamus Poems: Manuscripts
The NYPL Berg Collection


Berg Ms. (recto)
of draft copy of Calamus 20
"I Saw In Lousiana A Live Oak Growing" (verso).
The draft was cancelled by Whitman with
a vertical line. This leaf was probably used
after the cancellation as a wrapper for the
"Live Oak With Moss" notebook.		 
Poems
A Cluster of poems, journals
  expresssing the thoughts, pictures--
  aspirations &c
Fit to be perused during the
  Days of the approach
  of Death
(that I have prepared myself for that 
        purpose.--
(Remember now- --
Remember then- -- --
Digital image copyright the
New York Public Library. Used with permission.

Verso		 Manuscript Fragment:
"I Saw in Lousiana a Live Oak Growing" 
          growing
All alone stood it, and the moss
     hung down from the branches,
without any companion it grew
     there, glistening, without joyous
     leaves of dark green,
And its look, rude, unbending, lusty,
     made me think of myself;
But I wondered how it could
     utter jouous leaves, standing alone
     there without its friend, its
     lover--For I knew I could
     not;
And I plucked a twig with a certain
     number of leaves upon it and
     twined around it a little moss,
     and brought it away -- And I
     have placed it in sight in my
     room,