Leaves of Grass underwent some serious changes in just a matter of five years. The 1855 version begins with Song of Myself and the line, "I celebrate myself". In contrast the 1860 version of leaves of grass begins with, "Elemental drifts". Also the format of the later is different from the earlier version. In the 1855 version Whitman writes in longer sentences, using many "...". The later version contains longer sentences with more commas. One of the most apparent differences is that the later version is about five times longer in length than the first, and the poems have titles.
The theme of Whitman's writing hadn't changed much. Whitman's love for nature and unity can be read between the lines in either version. It seems that the later version speaks more about the crowds, at least in contrast to song of myself. This makes the 1860 version feel more like a metropolitan mans tale than that of a loafer in the woods. Perhaps, Whitman's ideas are more centered around crowds in 1860 because of his rising zeal for Democracy. As the States moved closer towards Civil War the subject of freedom began to gain more of a political influence in Whitman's writing.
Good. Yes, the themes remain the same . . .but those little changes start adding up . . . perhaps telling us about how W is rethinking himself as a poet and rethinking his poem . . .
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