Elegy - Katy Estes

Lincoln Is Dead

Lincoln Is Dead

By George Moses Horton 1798–1883 George Moses Horton
     

He is gone, the strong base of the nation,

    The dove to his covet has fled;

Ye heroes lament his privation,

    For Lincoln is dead.

 

He is gone down, the sun of the Union,

    Like Phoebus, that sets in the west;

The planet of peace and communion,

    Forever has gone to his rest.

 

He is gone down from a world of commotion,

    No equal succeeds in his stead;

His wonders extend with the ocean,

    Whose waves murmur, Lincoln is dead.

 

He is gone and can ne’er be forgotten,

    Whose great deeds eternal shall bloom;

When gold, pearls and diamonds are rotten,

    His deeds will break forth from the tomb.

 

He is gone out of glory to glory,

    A smile with the tear may be shed,

O, then let us tell the sweet story,

    Triumphantly, Lincoln is dead.

 

Rooney, Kathleen. "Lincoln Is Dead." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.

 

 

The three stages of a typical elegy are evident in this poem. The first stage of lament and grief can be seen in the first two stanzas. The poet repeats "He is gone" in sorrow that Lincoln had died. He even says  "Ye heroes lament his privation, For Lincoln is dead." The somber tone continues through the poem, into the second section of admiration. "No equal succeeds in his stead," he writes, admiring all the work and accomplishments that Lincoln made during his time as president. "He is gone and can ne'er be forgotten," he adds in the next stanza, emphasizing the fact that everyone admired Lincoln. The last stage of solace is prevalent in the last stanza when he said "A smile with the tear may be shed," as if saying that the moment can still be sweet because of how admirable Lincoln was.

The message as a whole that the author is trying to convey is that Lincoln was a strong and noble leader. The death of Lincoln disturbed many citizens in America and the purpose for this poem was most likely to comfort those in distress. The author of this does so in recognizing the terrible pain that the assassination caused the country, as well as honoring Lincoln, while still remaining hopeful in his last stanza, just as a typical elegy would go.