Study Guide by Arpita Karwa

When Lilacs last in the dooryard bloomed   by Walt Whitman

When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd by Walt Whitman is an elegy written soon after
Abraham Lincoln’s death. Through this poem, the poet expresses dismay for the President’s
death and also understands the cycle of life and death better.

The poet begins the poem while admiring some lilacs growing in the dooryard and
observing how the western fallen star went out of sight as a black dot covered it. The
heart-shaped lilacs naturally represent the human heart and hold the capacity to express
sadness but also renew and rejuvenate themselves, as they do every spring.

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The fragrance of the lilac brings him joy and sadness at the same time. The whole country is
mourning owing to the assassination of Lincoln and Civil War. He plucks a lilac and offer
it as a tribute to Lincoln. Grief is natural and it is what allows humans to see death while life is going on; seasons are

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changing.

The poet talks about a hermit bird in a swamp singing a song. He reminds the readers about the dead bodies which are
spread across the land. He merges his sorrow with that of the society and shares his understanding that nature offers
birth, growth and death. He calls death as an escape from the struggles of existence. The dead bodies which made
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women and children cry now depict freedom; freedom from the painful memories of life. The poem ends with the
western star, the lilacs, the hermit bird all coming together in a serene and tranquil swamp. The poet has found a way to
express his grief through these humanly and natural elements (lilacs, bird, star).
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