Poetry & Analysis
Selected Memorial Day Poems
Events PoetryThe Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna
Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot
O’er the grave where our hero we buried.
We buried him darkly at dead of night,
The sods with our bayonets turning;
By the struggling moonbeam’s misty light,
And the lantern dimly burning.
No useless coffin enclosed his breast,
Nor in sheet nor in shroud we wound him;
But he lay like a warrior taking his rest,
With his martial cloak around him.
Few and short were the prayers we said,
And we spoke not a word of sorrow;
But we steadfastly gazed on the face that was dead,
And we bitterly thought of the morrow.
We thought, as we hollowed his narrow bed,
And smoothed down his lonely pillow,
That the foe and the stranger would tread o’er his head,
And we far away on the billow!
Lightly they’ll talk of the spirit that’s gone,
And o’er his cold ashes upbraid him;
But little he’ll reck, if they let him sleep on
In the grave where a Briton has laid him.
But half of our heavy task was done,
When the clock struck the hour for retiring;
And we heard the distant and random gun
That the foe was sullenly firing.
Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone with his glory.
Overview Short Summary
This military burial poem describes a hurried nighttime grave for a fallen hero. Even without ceremony, the speaker insists that the dead soldier is left with honor and glory.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Honor without display: The burial is simple, but deeply respectful.
- Fallen heroes: The poem centers on a leader who dies after battle.
- Silent mourning: Absence of drums, shots, and speeches makes the grief stronger.
The Blue and the Gray
By the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray.
These in the robings of glory,
Those in the gloom of defeat,
All with the battle-blood gory,
In the dusk of eternity meet:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the laurel, the Blue,
Under the willow, the Gray.
From the silence of sorrowful hours
The desolate mourners go,
Lovingly laden with flowers
Alike for the friend and the foe:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the roses, the Blue,
Under the lilies, the Gray.
So, with an equal splendor,
The morning sun-rays fall,
With a touch impartially tender,
On the blossoms blooming for all:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Broidered with gold, the Blue,
Mellowed with gold, the Gray.
So, when the summer calleth,
On forest and field of grain,
With an equal murmur falleth
The cooling drip of the rain:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Wet with the rain, the Blue,
Wet with the rain, the Gray.
Sadly, but not with upbraiding,
The generous deed was done;
In the storm of the years that are fading,
No braver battle was won:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the blossoms, the Blue,
Under the garlands, the Gray.
No more shall the war cry sever,
Or the winding rivers be red;
They banish our anger forever
When they laurel the graves of our dead!
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Love and tears for the Blue,
Tears and love for the Gray.
Overview Short Summary
This poem honors Civil War dead from both sides and turns grave decoration into an act of reconciliation. Flowers, rain, sunlight, and tears fall equally on the Blue and the Gray.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Reconciliation: The poem asks memory to overcome old division.
- Equal mourning: The dead receive flowers and tears regardless of side.
- Memorial Day origins: Grave decoration and shared remembrance connect directly with the holiday’s early history.
Dirge for Two Veterans
The last sunbeam
Lightly falls from the finish’d Sabbath,
On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking,
Down a new-made double grave.
Lo, the moon ascending,
Up from the east the silvery round moon,
Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon,
Immense and silent moon.
I see a sad procession,
And I hear the sound of coming full-key’d bugles,
All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding,
As with voices and with tears.
I hear the great drums pounding,
And the small drums steady whirring,
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,
Strikes me through and through.
For the son is brought with the father,
In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell,
Two veterans son and father dropt together,
And the double grave awaits them.
Now nearer blow the bugles,
And the drums strike more convulsive,
And the daylight o’er the pavement quite has faded,
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.
In the eastern sky up-buoying,
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin’d,
’Tis some mother’s large transparent face,
In heaven brighter growing.
O strong dead-march you please me!
O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.
The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.
Overview Short Summary
This funeral poem follows a procession for a father and son who died together in battle. The drums, bugles, moon, and speaker’s heart become offerings of honor.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Family sacrifice: Father and son are buried together as veterans.
- Public mourning: The city procession turns private grief into shared ceremony.
- Love for soldiers: The speaker gives the dead his heart’s tribute.
All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight
All quiet along the Potomac, they say,
Except now and then a stray picket
Is shot, as he walks on his beat, to and fro,
By a rifleman hid in the thicket.
‘Tis nothing—a private or two, now and then,
Will not count in the news of the battle;
Not an officer lost—only one of the men,
Moaning out, all alone, the death-rattle.
All quiet along the Potomac to-night,
Where the soldiers lie peacefully dreaming;
Their tents in the rays of the clear autumn moon,
Or the light of the watch-fires, are gleaming.
A tremulous sigh of the gentle night-wind
Through the forest leaves softly is creeping;
While stars up above, with their glittering eyes,
Keep guard—for the army is sleeping.
There’s only the sound of the lone sentry’s tread,
As he tramps from the rock to the fountain,
And thinks of the two in the low trundle-bed,
Far away in the cot on the mountain.
His musket falls slack; his face, dark and grim,
Grows gentle with memories tender,
As he mutters a prayer for the children asleep,
For their mother, may Heaven defend her!
The moon seems to shine just as brightly as then,
That night, when the love yet unspoken
Leaped up to his lips—when low-murmured vows
Were pledged to be ever unbroken;
Then drawing his sleeve roughly over his eyes,
He dashes off tears that are welling,
And gathers his gun closer up to its place,
As if to keep down the heart-swelling.
He passes the fountain, the blasted pine-tree,
The footstep is lagging and weary;
Yet onward he goes, through the broad belt of light,
Toward the shade of the forest so dreary.
Hark! was it the night-wind that rustled the leaves?
Was it moonlight so wondrously flashing?
It looked like a rifle: “Ha! Mary, good-bye!”
And the life-blood is ebbing and plashing.
All quiet along the Potomac to-night,
No sound save the rush of the river;
While soft falls the dew on the face of the dead,
The picket’s off duty forever.
Overview Short Summary
This Civil War poem contrasts official calm with one soldier’s lonely death. A private man, nearly invisible in the news, becomes the emotional center of the poem.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Hidden sacrifice: The poem honors ordinary soldiers whose deaths may be overlooked.
- Family and memory: The sentry thinks of children, home, and love before he dies.
- Quiet grief: The phrase “all quiet” becomes tragically ironic.
Reader Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Memorial Day poems for ceremonies?
Good Memorial Day poems for ceremonies are usually respectful, clear, and focused on remembrance. “Decoration Day,” “In Flanders Fields,” “For the Fallen,” and “Bivouac of the Dead” are strong choices because they honor fallen soldiers without sounding casual or overly decorative.
Which short Memorial Day poems are suitable for kids and students?
For kids and students, choose shorter poems with clear language and a respectful tone. “Decoration Day,” “Concord Hymn,” and selected short stanzas from “In Flanders Fields” can work well for classroom reading, school assemblies, or printable Memorial Day programs.
What is the main theme of Memorial Day poems?
The main theme of Memorial Day poems is remembrance. Many poems also focus on sacrifice, freedom, fallen heroes, military service, family grief, national gratitude, and the responsibility of the living to honor those who died.
Can Memorial Day poems be used in church services?
Yes. Many Memorial Day poems can be used in church services if they are solemn, respectful, and focused on remembrance rather than celebration. Poems with prayerful, reflective, or peaceful language are usually the best fit.
Are Memorial Day poems the same as Veterans Day poems?
No. Memorial Day poems usually honor military members who died in service, while Veterans Day poems may honor all veterans, living and deceased. Some patriotic or remembrance poems can fit both, but the purpose of each holiday is different.
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