R. S. S., At Deer Island On The Merrimac

John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)



Make, for he loved thee well, our Merrimac,
From wave and shore a low and long lament
For him, whose last look sought thee, as he went
The unknown way from which no step comes back.
And ye, O ancient pine-trees, at whose feet
He watched in life the sunset's reddening glow,
Let the soft south wind through your needles blow
A fitting requiem tenderly and sweet!
No fonder lover of all lovely things
Shall walk where once he walked, no smile more glad
Greet friends than his who friends in all men had,
Whose pleasant memory, to that Island clings,
Where a dear mourner in the home he left
Of love's sweet solace cannot be bereft.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 30, 2023

36 sec read
166

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACDDCEFFEGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 624
Words 119
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. more…

All John Greenleaf Whittier poems | John Greenleaf Whittier Books

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    "R. S. S., At Deer Island On The Merrimac" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/23016/r.-s.-s.,-at-deer-island-on-the-merrimac>.

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