D., friends of, can hear of him. by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This poem is a satirical mock-index — a fabricated alphabetical reference list from James Russell Lowell's *The Biglow Papers*, which critiques American politics, religion, slavery, and public figures from the mid-19th century.
The poem
Century, nineteenth. Chalk egg, we are proud of incubation of. Chamberlayne, Doctor, consolatory citation from. Chance, an apothegm concerning, is impatient. Chaplain, a one-horse, stern-wheeled variety of. Chappelow on Job, a copy of, lost. Charles I., accident to his neck. Charles II., his restoration, how brought about. Cherubusco, news of, its effects on English royalty. Chesterfield no letter-writer. Chief Magistrate, dancing esteemed sinful by. Children naturally speak Hebrew. China-tree. Chinese, whether they invented gunpowder before the Christian era not considered. Choate hired. Christ, shuffled into Apocrypha, conjectured to disapprove of slaughter and pillage, condemns a certain piece of barbarism. Christianity, profession of, plebeian, whether. Christian soldiers, perhaps inconsistent whether. Cicero, an opinion of, disputed. Cilley, Ensign, author of nefarious sentiment. _Cimex lectularius_. Cincinnati, old, law and order party of. Cincinnatus, a stock character in modern comedy. Civilization, progress of, an alias, rides upon a powder-cart. Clergymen, their ill husbandry, their place in processions, some, cruelly banished for the soundness of their lungs. Clotho, a Grecian lady. Cocked-hat, advantages of being knocked into. College of Cardinals, a strange one. Colman, Dr. Benjamin, anecdote of. Colored folks, curious national diversion of kicking. Colquitt, a remark of, acquainted with some principles of aerostation. Columbia, District of, its peculiar climatic effects, not certain that Martin is for abolishing it. Columbiads, the true fifteen-inch ones. Columbus, a Paul Pry of genius, will perhaps be remembered, thought by some to have discovered America. Columby. Complete Letter-Writer, fatal gift of. Compostella, Saint James of, seen. Compromise system, the, illustrated. Conciliation, its meaning. Congress, singular consequence of getting into, a stumbling-block. Congressional debates found instructive. Constituents, useful for what, 194. Constitution, trampled on, to stand upon what. Convention, what. Convention, Springfield. Coon, old, pleasure in skinning. Co-operation defined. Coppers, _caste_ in picking up of. Copres, a monk, his excellent method of arguing. Corduroy-road, a novel one. Corner-stone, patent safety. Cornwallis, a, acknowledged entertaining. Cotton loan, its imaginary nature. Cotton Mather, summoned as witness. Country, our, its boundaries more exactly defined, right or wrong, nonsense about, exposed, lawyers, sent providentially. Earth's biggest, gets a soul. Courier, The Boston, an unsafe print. Court, General, farmers sometimes attain seats in. Court, Supreme. Courts of law, English, their orthodoxy. Cousins, British, our _ci-devant_. Cowper, W., his letters commended. Credit defined. Creditors all on Lincoln's side. Creed, a safe kind of. Crockett, a good rule of. Cruden, Alexander, his Concordance. Crusade, first American. Cuneiform script recommended. Curiosity distinguishes man from brutes. Currency, Ethiopian, inconveniences of. Cynthia, her hide as a means of conversion. Dædalus first taught men to sit on fences. Daniel in the lion's den. Darkies dread freedom. Davis, Captain Isaac, finds out something to his advantage. Davis, Jefferson (a new species of martyr), has the latest ideas on all subjects, superior in financiering to patriarch Jacob, is _some_, carries Constitution in his hat, knows how to deal with his Congress, astonished at his own piety, packed up for Nashville, tempted to believe his own lies, his snake egg, blood on his hands. Davis, Mr., of Mississippi, a remark of his. Day and Martin, proverbially "on hand." Death, rings down curtain. De Bow (a famous political economist). Delphi, oracle of, surpassed, alluded to. Democracy, false notion of, its privileges. Demosthenes. Destiny, her account. Devil, the, unskilled in certain Indian tongues, letters to and from. Dey of Tripoli. Didymus, a somewhat voluminous grammarian. Dighton rock character might be usefully employed in some emergencies. Dimitry Bruisgins, fresh supply of. Diogenes, his zeal for propagating certain variety of olive. Dioscuri, imps of the pit. District-Attorney, contemptible conduct of one. Ditchwater on brain, a too common ailing. Dixie, the land of. Doctor, the, a proverbial saying of. Doe, Hon. Preserved, speech of. Donatus, profane wish of. Doughface, yeast-proof. Downing Street. Drayton, a martyr, north star, culpable for aiding, whether. Dreams, something about. Dwight, President, a hymn unjustly attributed to.
This poem is a satirical mock-index — a fabricated alphabetical reference list from James Russell Lowell's *The Biglow Papers*, which critiques American politics, religion, slavery, and public figures from the mid-19th century. Each entry mirrors the dry, deadpan style typical of a book's back-of-the-index, but the absurd and pointed content transforms it into sharp political comedy. The humor lies in how serious topics — slavery, war, Jefferson Davis, the Constitution — are presented with the same flat bureaucratic tone as trivial curiosities.
Line-by-line
Century, nineteenth. / Chalk egg, we are proud of incubation of.
Chance, / an apothegm concerning, / is impatient.
Chaplain, a one-horse, stern-wheeled variety of. / Chappelow on Job, a copy of, lost.
Charles I., accident to his neck. / Charles II., his restoration, how brought about.
Christ, / shuffled into Apocrypha, / conjectured to disapprove of slaughter and pillage,
Civilization, / progress of, an alias, / rides upon a powder-cart.
Clergymen, / their ill husbandry, / their place in processions,
Colored folks, curious national diversion of kicking.
Columbus, / a Paul Pry of genius, / will perhaps be remembered,
Constitution, / trampled on, / to stand upon what.
Country, our, / its boundaries more exactly defined, / right or wrong, nonsense about, exposed,
Davis, Jefferson (a new species of martyr), / has the latest ideas on all subjects,
Democracy, / false notion of, / its privileges.
Doughface, yeast-proof. / Downing Street.
Dreams, something about. / Dwight, President, a hymn unjustly attributed to.
Tone & mood
The tone is dry, deadpan, and sharply satirical. Lowell maintains a flat, bureaucratic voice that echoes the style of an index, intensifying the impact of the content — both atrocities and absurdities are presented with the same neutral tone as mundane facts. Beneath the comedy lies genuine anger, particularly in the entries about slavery, Jefferson Davis, and the distortion of Christianity, yet Lowell never allows this anger to erupt into overt outrage. Instead, humor serves as the weapon.
Symbols & metaphors
- The index format — The mock-index structure acts as the key symbol here. An index is meant to present knowledge in a neutral and objective way. By using this format to list moral horrors next to trivia, Lowell illustrates how institutions — whether legal, religious, or political — create a facade of order and neutrality to justify injustice.
- The chalk egg — A chalk egg is a decoy used in a nest to prompt hens to lay. It represents the 19th century's pride in its own progress, hinting that the achievements of civilization may be empty facades created to foster a comforting illusion of fertility and growth.
- The powder-cart — Civilization riding a powder cart symbolizes self-destruction disguised as progress. The cart holds explosive powder — the same tools of war and conquest that "civilization" employs to push forward. It’s a vehicle that is bound to ultimately harm its own passengers.
- Jefferson Davis's hat — Davis "carries the Constitution in his hat" — this symbolizes the Confederate argument for constitutional legitimacy. Keeping it in a hat implies it's more of a personal accessory or a convenient prop rather than a true dedication to constitutional values.
- Blood on Davis's hands — The final Davis sub-entry serves as the clearest symbol in the poem. After pages filled with ironic understatement, Lowell briefly removes the comic mask to deliver the moral judgment directly: Davis is accountable for deaths, and no claims of martyrdom or piety can erase that fact.
- Christ shuffled into the Apocrypha — The Apocrypha are texts viewed as non-canonical—recognizable enough to reference but not obligatory. Using this as a metaphor for how American Christianity approached Christ's teachings on violence and mercy, Lowell suggests that the church maintained Jesus for appearances while discreetly disregarding his more challenging messages.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell published *The Biglow Papers* in two series: the first during the Mexican-American War (1846–48) and the second during the Civil War (1861–65). This mock index appears in the second series, where Lowell took aim at the Confederacy, slavery, and the political cowardice of Northern "doughfaces." As a Harvard professor, abolitionist, and one of America's leading public intellectuals, Lowell had significant influence. He chose the index format deliberately, mimicking the reference books and encyclopedias that educated 19th-century readers relied on for objective information, then filled that familiar structure with sharp political satire. At the time, issues like Jefferson Davis, the Constitution, and the treatment of Black Americans were pressing topics, and Lowell's readers would have recognized every reference right away.
FAQ
It comes from *The Biglow Papers*, a collection of satirical works by James Russell Lowell published during the Civil War. This piece is a mock index — it mimics the back-of-the-book index typical of 19th-century reference books, but instead is packed with political humor and moral insights. Lowell cleverly employed this format to address serious issues like slavery, war, and hypocrisy, all while maintaining a serious tone.
Pure sarcasm. Davis, in his role as president of the Confederacy, portrayed himself as a noble sufferer for a righteous cause — a martyr for Southern independence. Lowell is poking fun at that self-image. Referring to him as a "new species" suggests he has created an entirely new type of martyrdom: one rooted in slavery and treason instead of any real principle.
It was a political jab aimed at a Northern politician in the mid-1800s who always aligned with Southern slaveholders. The depiction is of a doughy face — soft, shapeless, and easily manipulated by whoever exerts the most pressure. Lowell also adds "yeast-proof," suggesting they can’t even rise — they remain forever flat and lacking backbone.
The Apocrypha are religious texts that occupy a gray area—recognized but not fully accepted as authoritative. Lowell argues that American Christianity has treated Christ's true teachings, particularly his stance against violence, in a similar manner: acknowledged as part of the faith but conveniently overlooked when they become inconvenient. This is a pointed accusation that the churches of his time were neglecting the essence of what they professed to believe.
A powder-cart carries gunpowder—an explosive used in warfare. Lowell suggests that civilization "rides upon" one, indicating that Western progress and expansion are driven by military violence. This also points to an inherent instability: you can't ride a powder-cart indefinitely without it eventually exploding.
Paul Pry was a famous comic character of the time—a nosy and meddlesome busybody who always seemed to show up uninvited. Using that label for Columbus challenges the heroic "discoverer" myth. Lowell suggests that Columbus was really just a clever intruder who came across a continent that was already inhabited, and that celebrating his "discovery" glosses over the reality of what occurred.
This is one of Lowell's sharpest lines. By calling the abuse of Black Americans a "curious national diversion"—the sort of phrase you might find in a detached, anthropological reference book discussing a folk custom—he reveals how casually and systematically racist violence became accepted. The flat tone is intentional: it illustrates how a society can record its own cruelty without hesitation, as long as the language remains courteous.
Yes, intentionally so — but it’s a kind of humor that makes you squirm. Lowell uses comedy to convey serious moral points. The humor lies in the contrast between the dry, neutral index format and the heavy subject matter. By the time you get to "blood on his hands" at the end of the Davis entry, the humor fades completely, revealing that the comedy was always meant to support something much more furious.