D.H.Lawrence about Whitman

I know there is no doubt that Whitman produced an ambivalence in Lawrence's poems, and probably replacing Thomas Hardy as prime precursor. The thing is his essay on Whitman fro Studies in Classic American Literature is not quite a prasing of him, while In Poetry of the Presnt from Phoenix, he has a great essay about the free verse and Whitman's influence on American and poetry in general, how can i comment this?

I don't know what you mean by "ambivalence." There is no qestion that Whitman is Lawrence's most important poetic influence. I wouldn't take Lawrence's "Studies of American Literature" as conclusive for Lawrence's feelings.