Manuscripts of "Farewell Performance"
"Eager to face." Pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
1 Verso) Page from Merrill's "Prose of Departure." Additions in pencil.
2) "holds us upright." Pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
2 Verso) Page from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
3) "Dread and much self-pity." Revisions in pencil and ink. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
3 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form Cycle, Infinity (1985).
4) "Back the dancers come." Revision in pencil.
4 Verso) Page from Merrill's A Different Person (1993).
5) "Curtain call. 22 viii." Revisions in pencil and ink. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
5 Verso) Page from Merrill's "Prose of Departure."
6) "Gave you to water's." Revisions in red.
6 Verso) Page from Merrill's "Prose of Departure."
7) "Dancers." Revisions in pencil.
7 Verso) "Dread & self-pity." See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
8) "DANCERS. 28 viii 86." Revisions in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
8 Verso) Copy of John Hollander's poem "An Inchstone."
9) "Curtain call." Revisions in pencil.
9 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
10) "clapped. The house lights."
10 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
11) "Farewell Performance. 29 viii." Revisions in pencil and ink. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
11 Verso) Page from Merrill's "A Class Day Talk" (1968).
12) "Back the dancers came." Revisions in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
12 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
13) "Program ended." Revisions in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
13 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
14) "A FAREWELL PERFORMANCE. Gala ended." Revisions in pencil and ink."
14 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
15) "Facing our planché." Revisions in ink.
15 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
16) "yours was what today." Revisions in ink and pencil.
17) "(pity, dread)." Revisions in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
18) "Two [word] back Suzanne comes." Revisions in pencil and ink. Final stanza pasted in.
18 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
19) "Gala ended." Revisions in pencil.
19 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
20) "You, it seems, too strictly observed these bodies." Revisions in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
20 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
21) "Bravo! we tell them." Revisions in pencil.
22) "Gala ended." Revisions in pencil.
23) "Gala ended." First stanza pasted in. Revisions in pencil and ink.
23 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
24) "Gala ended." Revisions in pencil.
24 Verso) Pages from Rachel Hadas, Form, Cycle, Infinity (1985).
25) "Gasping, dripping . . . they beg forgiveness." Revisions in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
26) "Gala ended." Revisions in pencil and ink.
27) "Gala ended." Revisions in pencil.
28) "You caught like a fever from them." Revisions in pencil and ink.
28 Verso) List of poem titles for Merrill's The Inner Room (1988).
29) "Gala ended." Revisions in pencil.
30) "Worked the spell." Revisions in pencil.
30 Verso) Copy of Rachel Hadas, "Speaking in Tongues," Slow Transparency (Weselyan 1983).
31) "Art. It cures affliction. 2 x 86." Revisions in pencil.
32) "Art. It heals all ills." Manuscript in pencil. See a transcription at the Transcriptions link in left margin.
32 Verso) "Prose of Departure" from Merrill's The Inner Room (1988).
33) "Nowhere. Gasping, dripping." Revisions in pencil.
33 Verso) Copy of Rachel Hadas' poem "Wish Granted," Slow Transparency (Weselyan 1983)
34) "Art. It cures affliction."
35) FAREWELL PERFORMANCE. "1986" added in pencil.
Select an image to view and enlarge text. The manuscripts are in the order Merrill placed them in before sending to Special Collections, Washington University.
To read transcriptions of the texts, see the "Transcriptions" link in the left margin. To compare the transcriptions to the originals, open another page to the manuscripts in your browser. Please send any suggested revisions of the transcriptions to Timothy Materer.