Lincoln Is Dead
By 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.
Horton, George M. "Lincoln Is Dead." “Words for the Hour”: A New Anthology of American Civil War Poetry. Ed. Faith Barrett and Cristanne Miller. University of Massachusetts Press, 2005.
George Moses Horton was an African American poet who was the first African American poet to be published in the Southern United States. He lived from 1797-1884. Horton was alive during Abraham Lincoln's life and presidency, and Lincoln's death greatly impacted him. "Lincoln Is Dead" begins with the first element of an elegy. Horton grieves over the death of Abraham Lincoln, who was "the strong base of the nation...the sun of the Union." Horton's admiration for Lincoln, the next element of elegy, is clear because he considers him to be "The planet of peace and communion" that "Forever has gone to his rest." Saying that "no equal succeeds in his stead" is also a compliment to Lincoln's achievements that Horton held in high regard. It's clear where Horton transitions to coming to terms with Lincoln's death, which is the third element of an elegy. "He is gone and can ne'er be forgotten." He continues to speak highly of Lincoln's life and achievements, but now with a greater sense of finality and pride. When future generations learn about the impact Lincoln left on his country, "O, then let us tell the sweet story, Triumphantly, Lincoln is dead."
I like the choice of poem, it was kind of moving. I did not expect the writer to be an African-American man. Your explanation of the elegy was spot on, I think you really got the idea of the elegy and the message that Horton was trying to get across
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex, I didn't expect the author to be African American. That just goes to show how important Lincoln was to him. I really think how you included quotes into your explanation helped get across the point that this elegy was traditional.
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