Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ON THE DEATH OF JOSEPH RODMAN DRAKE, by FITZ-GREENE HALLECK


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ON THE DEATH OF JOSEPH RODMAN DRAKE, by             Poem Explanation     Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Green be the turf above thee
Last Line: That mourns a man like thee.
Alternate Author Name(s): Croaker
Variant Title(s): Elegy In Memory Of Joseph Rodman Drake;joseph Rodman Drake, Died In New York, September, 1820;joseph Rodman Drake
Subject(s): Drake, Joseph Rodman (1795-1820); Grief; Sorrow; Sadness


GREEN be the turf above thee,
Friend of my better days!
None knew thee but to love thee,
Nor named thee but to praise.

Tears fell, when thou weft dying,
From eyes unused to weep,
And long, where thou art lying,
Will tears the cold turf steep.

When hearts, whose truth was proven,
Like thine, are laid in earth,
There should a wreath be woven
To tell the world their worth;

And I, who woke each morrow
To clasp thy hand in mine,
Who shared thy joy and sorrow,
Whose weal and woe were thine,

It should be mine to braid it
Around thy faded brow,
But I've in vain essayed it,
And feel I cannot now.

While memory bids me weep thee,
or thoughts nor words are free,
The grief is fixed too deeply
That mourns a man like thee.




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