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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
ODE FOR THE BURIAL OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT Poem Explanation Poet Analysis Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh, slow to smite and swift to spare
Last Line: Who perished in the cause of right.
Variant Title(s): Abraham Lincoln;the Death Of Lincoln
Subject(s): Funerals; Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865); Presidents, United States; Burials
First Line: Oh, slow to smite and swift to spare
Last Line: Who perished in the cause of right.
Variant Title(s): Abraham Lincoln;the Death Of Lincoln
Subject(s): Funerals; Lincoln, Abraham (1809-1865); Presidents, United States; Burials
OH, slow to smite and swift to spare,
Gentle and merciful and just!
Who, in the fear of God, didst bear
The sword of power, a nation's trust!
In sorrow by thy bier we stand,
Amid the awe that hushes all,
And speak the anguish of a land
That shook with horror at thy fall.
Thy task is done; the bond are free:
We bear thee to an honored grave,
Whose proudest monument shall be
The broken fetters of the slave.
Pure was thy life; its bloody close
Hath placed thee with the sons of light,
Among the noble host of those
Who perished in the cause of Right.
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