Grief and Memory

Where it surfaces

• The Parting and the Coming Guest

  Spring's tears for Winter's departure evoke a sense of mourning and remembrance for what has passed.

• The After-Echo

  The poem centers on the lingering echoes of memories, the departure of fond recollections, and the solitary tone that returns to touch the soul with tears.

• The Fall of the Leaves

  The speaker mourns the fallen leaves and walks among 'rustling memories of the dead,' emphasizing loss and remembrance.

• A Snow-Song

  The snow is likened to a 'childish ghost' that wavers and is lost, evoking the ephemeral nature of memory and the sorrow of being forgotten.

• If All the Skies

  Grief is portrayed as a comforting, restful presence, integral to the balance of life.

• The Whip-Poor-Will

  The speaker contrasts his innocent childhood with his present understanding of sorrow, using the memory of the whip-poor-will's call as a symbol of lost time and enduring grief.

• The Veery

  The speaker's longing for the veery is tied to a sense of loss and approaching death, evoking memory and grief.

• Tennyson

  The poem dwells on the silence and voiceless grief left by Tennyson's death, while honoring his memory.

• A Ballad of Claremont Hill

  The father's love for his child is preserved in the marble inscription, a century later.

• Rappelle-Toi

  The entire poem is structured around the act of remembering, from the 'timid light' of dawn to the 'cool, dark tomb,' emphasizing memory as a bridge across loss.

• In Memoriam

  The chapter meditates on sorrow, tears, and the memory of a love that defies time.

• Santa Christina

  The children's continued remembrance of Christina through prayer and vows to keep her love alive illustrates the theme of grief transformed into enduring memory.

• To Joseph Jefferson

  The encounter evokes nostalgia as Jefferson returns to a stream he fished forty-three years ago, and the brook itself seems to remember his youth.

• A November Daisy

  The speaker's initial projection of loneliness onto the daisy reflects his own grief and memory of past joys, contrasting the 'flood of youth's delight' with the present solitude.

• The River of Dreams

  The narrator encounters a desolate land of ruins and death, then finds comfort in the memory of lost friends who are 'living still' in the dream.

• Music

  Music is portrayed as a comfort for grief, allowing the soul to 'forget' sorrow and transforming tears into golden harvest, while also evoking memories of childhood and lost playmates.

• The Wind of Sorrow

  The 'wind of sorrow' brings bitter pain and fearful darkness, yet it also revives the memory and intensity of past love, intertwining grief with remembrance.

• A Mile with Me

  The mention of 'life's weary way' and 'quiet rest at the end o' the day' suggests comfort in the face of hardship and the memory of a friend.

• Indian Summer

  The poem dwells on 'ghosts of vanished joy and pain' and the 'Camp-fires of the Past,' emphasizing memory and loss.

• Hide and Seek

  The speaker mourns the loss of the child and clings to memories of their game.

• Dulcis Memoria

  The entire poem is a meditation on holding onto the memory of a lost child through song, flower, and recollection.

• Autumn in the Garden

  The poem explores how memories of past griefs and the shared human experience of loss bring comfort rather than deepening sorrow.

• The Message

  The narrator's grief for a lost child is transformed by a memory-like message of love conveyed through another child.

• To Mark Twain

  The memorial section mourns Twain's loss while cherishing his legacy of humor and kindness.

• A Rondeau of College Rhymes

  The poem is a nostalgic look back at college days, treating the rhymes as 'little ghosts of love’s young dream' and offering them to Alma Mater.

• The White Bees

  Aristæus mourns the loss of Eurydice and his bees, and the snow buries 'all past ill' in 'white oblivion.'

• New Year's Eve

  The narrator's dream is a poignant exploration of grief, as he revisits the home of his lost friend and struggles to reconcile her death with the vividness of her presence in memory.

• National Monuments

  Monuments are presented as tributes to the dead, preserving their memory and the nation's gratitude.

• Mother Earth

  The earth takes back the bodies of the departed, but their passionate songs of joy, grief, and love endure.

• Milton

  The poem reflects on Milton's years of pain, blindness, and the loss of his sacrifice, yet finds solace in memory and divine vision.

• Wordsworth

  The poem acknowledges Wordsworth's youthful passion and despair, suggesting that memory of suffering enriches his later peace.

• Keats

  The speaker mourns Keats's early death while honoring his enduring legacy, blending sorrow with remembrance.

• Longfellow

  The flaming arrow that kills the dearest lamb leads the shepherd into a 'mystical temple of sorrow,' from which he emerges still singing, transformed by grief.

• Thomas Bailey Aldrich

  The memorial sonnet mourns Aldrich's passing while cherishing his memory and the lasting impact of his work.

• Edmund Clarence Stedman

  The poem mourns Stedman's death while honoring his life and virtues.

• Departure

  The speaker's lament and the imagery of weeping flowers and a clouded sun evoke grief and the memory of lost joy.

• The Black Birds

  The narrator's memory of a lost Eden and the sorrow of its destruction by the black birds evokes deep grief.

• Master of Music

  The poem mourns the loss of the Master while affirming that his music lives on in the hearts of those who heard it.

• Fire-Fly City

  The narrator is wakeful with 'sad-sweet memories of parting,' and the vision of the city underscores a sense of loss and isolation.

• Sicily, December, 1908

  The poem mourns the beauty of Sicily laid waste in wreck and agony, evoking deep sorrow.

• Hudson’s Last Voyage

  Hudson grieves the betrayal by his crew and recalls past voyages and lost companions.

• Gran' Boule

  The narrator's recollection of the tragic voyage and the discovery of the frozen bodies, especially the Captain's final act of wrapping his coat around a child, evokes deep grief and the enduring memory of loss.

• Heroes of the Titanic

  The poem serves as a memorial to the brave souls who perished, honoring their memory.

• The Standard-Bearer

  The aftermath of battle reveals the fallen standard-bearer, whose sacrifice is remembered through the image of his hand still gripping the banner.

• Christmas Tears

  The poem centers on tears that arise from memories of vanished faces and unseen hands, portraying grief as a gentle, starry presence that blesses rather than darkens the heart.

• Dorothea

  The poem explores how loss deepens the sense of beauty and gain, transforming grief into a silver song.

• Inscription for a Tomb in England

  The inscription centers on the grief of losing a loved one, yet memory preserves her heavenly love and cheer.

• Thorn and Rose

  The poem acknowledges grief and pain as integral to a meaningful life, suggesting that joy is enriched by the memory of sorrow.

• Lights Out

  The poem mourns the loss of peace and the innocent victims of war, invoking a sense of collective grief.

• The Proud Lady

  The lady's ghostly return to scatter corn reflects the haunting memory of her pride and the town's ruin.

• The Oxford Thrushes

  Mourning the sons of Oxford who died in war, yet holding onto hope and memory.

• Easter Road

  The poem acknowledges the sorrow and tears of war, remembering those who die in the cause.

• America's Welcome Home

  Honors the fallen soldiers ('dear spirits of the dead') and remembers their sacrifice.

• The Surrender of the German Fleet

  References to murdered merchantmen and mocked drowning crews evoke the sorrow and memory of wartime atrocities.

• Golden Stars

  The transformation of blue stars to gold stars symbolizes the loss of loved ones, yet the poem insists they are not lost but live on in memory and spirit.

• Dulciora

  The entire poem is a meditation on holding onto a lost child through memory, with the refrain that the child 'does not go away.'

• Day and Night

  The night is described as long and filled with pain when the heart is sorrowful, emphasizing the experience of grief.

• Eight Echoes from the Poems of Auguste Angellier

  Prominent in 'Tranquil Habit' and 'Resignation', where memory and grief are healed or borne alone.

• Who Follow the Flag

  Mourns the suffering of child laborers and recalls the sacrifices of soldiers and the nation's past struggles.

• In the Blue Heaven

  The poem mourns the fallen aviators, acknowledging they will never be seen again, yet their spirits endure in memory and in the blue heaven.

• A Shrine in the Pantheon

  The poem addresses mourning women and emphasizes that the soldier's name, though ungraven on stone, is written in God's book, highlighting collective grief and eternal memory.

• Ballad of Princeton Battle

  The poem commemorates the fallen soldiers like Mercer and Hasley, and the sacrifice that won 'liberty and fame.'