The Poets' Lincoln: Tributes in Verse to the Martyred President
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The Poets' Lincoln: Tributes in Verse to the Martyred President
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Poetry
[Illustration: TABLET AT PHILADELPHIA
Unveiled February 21, 1903]
He who seeks the embodiment of the genius of the Union finds it in the
apotheosis of the Great Emancipator. There, under the arching skies he
stands, erect, serene, resplendent; beneath his feet the broken
shackles of a race redeemed; upon his brow the diadem of liberty with
law, while around and behind him rise up, as an eternal guard of
honor, the great army of the Republic.
In the belief that from the martyr's bier as from the battlefield of
right it is but one step to paradise, may we not, on days like this,
draw back the veil that separates from our mortal gaze the phantom
squadrons as they pass again in grand review before their "Martyr
President."--_From an address by Hiram F. Stevens, read before the
Minnesota Commandery of the Loyal Legion._
THE MARTYR PRESIDENT
In solid platoons of steel,
Under heaven's triumphant arch,
The long lines break and wheel,
And the order is "Forward, March!"
The colors ripple o'erhead,
The drums roll up to the sky,
And with martial time and tread
The regiments all pass by--
The ranks of the faithful dead
Meeting their president's eye.
March on, your last brave mile!
Salute him, star and lace!
Form 'round him, rank and file,
And look on the kind, rough face.
But the quaint and homely smile
Has a glory and a grace
It has never known erstwhile,
Never in time or space.
Close 'round him, hearts of pride!
Press near him, side by side!
For he stands there not alone.
For the holy right he died,
And Christ, the crucified,
Waits to welcome his own.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
_Written for the Lincoln Memorial Album, by
Eugene J. Hall, 1882._
O honored name, revered and undecaying,
Engraven on each heart, O soul sublime!
That, like a planet through the heavens straying,
Outlives the wreck of time!
O rough, strong soul, your noble self-possession
Is unforgotten. Still your work remains.
You freed from bondage and from vile oppression
A race in clanking chains.
O furrowed face, beloved by all the nation!
O tall gaunt form, to memory fondly dear!
O firm, bold hand, our strength and our salvation!
O heart that knew no fear!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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