I do not know whether
many, passing by, will discover you,
or inhale your faint odor--but I believe a
few will
O slender leaves! O blossoms of my blood! I permit you to tell, in your
own way, of the heart that is
under you, where your roots
are!
O aching and throbbing! O these hungering
desires! 
Surely one day they will be
pacified--all will be accomplished
O I know not what you mean--you
are not happiness--you are
often too
bitter!

Revisions

11 I do not know] a second 'not' (presumably a slip of the pen) has been deleted in pencil after the first. Above this verse appear two false starts. Whitman first wrote 'the flowers' and crossed it out in the same ink. Below, and indented, he began'--you shall not fail to | appear, for your own sake,' this being crossed through, just possibly in a different ink.

11 many, passing by, will discover] before 'many' was first written 'you' (or 'your'), deleted before 'many' was written. 'poassing by,' is interlined. 'discover' is interlined with a caret above deleted 'percieve'.

11or inhale] before this the original read, 'where you are,' which has been deleted, perhaps in a different ink.

12 O slender leaves!. . .to tell] the original read "Breast Blossoms! O tell,'. Before 'tell' and after deleted 'O' was interlined above a caret 'O little blossoms leaves! I permit you to', this apparently as a substitute or alternate. 'to such' was interlined above 'I permit', but deleted. 'little blossoms' was crossed through and 'slender' interlined. 'Breast-' was deleted, 'O' prefixed to it, and a caret placed before 'O', a guide line bringing down before 'O blossoms' the revised interlined 'O slender leaves!'. Underneath 'blossoms' was written 'of my breast,' and later an exclamation mark was added. Then breast was excised and 'blood' in light ink crowded in above it, a long guide line being drawn intended to bring these words up after 'blossoms'.

12 of the heart] 'og' is later interlined above a caret.

12 where] interlined above deleted 'that'. The h of 'where' is mended over some other letter.

13 O aching] between the two words was interlined 'this' above a caret, later deleted.

13 these] interlined above a caret.

14 pacified] c mended over s.

15 often too bitter!] originally, 'often bitter, bitter bitter gall to me,'. the first two words 'bitter' are crossed through in ink, the second apparently at a later time. Then after 'often' is added 'very' in pencil and 'too' interlined. An exclamation mark is added in pencil after the remaining 'bitter', and 'as gall to me,' crossed out.

(Bowers 70-71)