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  My dear Mr. Whitman,

Some days ago came my parcel—many thanks—Mr. Grosart's books included. That for Mr. Graves had come previously—I have waited a few days expecting to hear from my brother (from Edinburgh) of the arrival of his copies, but it is sometimes his way to put off writing to me too long, & I have little doubt he has got the books safely.

Rossetti let me know from time to time any news of you that reached him, and I have to thank you for some newspapers now & again.

 

It was a real sorrow to us, dear friend, to hear of the loss of your little nephew & name–sake. A friend of mine Harold Littledale watched this summer by the side of a little sister (about twenty years younger than himself) who died, and he told me that in the presence of death & with its consciousness enveloping him it was words of yours which expressed the deepest truths of the hour & the event. Littledale is President this year of our principal society of students—in Trinity College, the Philosophical Society, & I believe his Opening address, which is the event of the   Session, is to be partly concerned with your poetry. It was a great satisfaction to me this year also, to get a kind of confession or self–revelation from one of the most promising men in my class of the really saving & delivering power of your writings when he was lapsing in that lethargy & cynicism which is one of the diseases of youth in our Old World, if not in your New one—(but in both I shd​ suppose).

I have done too little this last summer. I copied out about 200 pp​ of verse, & am about to have them published. I will send you a copy, but I doubt whether you   will care for them—I don't claim to be an "Answerer"; but I do assert a right to be one of the tribe of the singers—"eye–singer, ear-singer, head–singer, sweet–singer, echo–singer, parlor–singer, love–singer, or something else". And these have their place & raison d'être. Probably my next bit of work will be the arranging for publication a volume of Essays on 19th century writers, including Tennyson & Browning, Victor Hugo, & the Westminster Article (somewhat altered) on your poetry.

You asked for O'Grady's address. I don't know it at this moment; but he would like to get your photograph (of which you spoke) & if you address it to my care he will get it.

I hope the cooler weather (after so hot a summer) may do your health good. We are all well.

Always affectionately yours Edward Dowden   from Dowden dated Oct 4 '76 Prof​ Dowden see notes Aug 3 1888 also 4th