FOR A MEMORIAL WINDOW TO SIR WALTER RALEIGH, SET UP IN ST. MARGARET'S, by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This brief four-line poem commemorates a stained-glass memorial window dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh, located in St.
The poem
WESTMINSTER, BY AMERICAN CONTRIBUTORS The New World's sons, from England's breasts we drew Such milk as bids remember whence we came; Proud of her Past, wherefrom our Present grew, This window we inscribe with Raleigh's name.
This brief four-line poem commemorates a stained-glass memorial window dedicated to Sir Walter Raleigh, located in St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, and funded by American donors. Lowell notes that Americans, despite being a new nation, are still connected to England and owe respect to its history and explorers. By featuring Raleigh's name on the window, they pay tribute to the English heritage that made their American present possible.
Line-by-line
The New World's sons, from England's breasts we drew / Such milk as bids remember whence we came;
Proud of her Past, wherefrom our Present grew, / This window we inscribe with Raleigh's name.
Tone & mood
The tone is ceremonial and thankful—the sort of voice you’d use for unveiling a plaque or giving a toast. There’s no hint of irony, grief, or conflict. Lowell maintains a dignified and concise style, fitting for the occasion: this serves as both a dedicatory inscription and a poem, intended to be read aloud at a public event and later carved or printed for future generations.
Symbols & metaphors
- The window — A stained-glass memorial window is a way to let light shine through a fixed image—symbolizing the act of honoring the past while staying open to the present. It embodies transparency, community, and permanence, which are qualities Lowell hopes this tribute will capture.
- Milk / nursing — The nursing metaphor portrays England as a nurturing mother and America as her adult child. It recognizes a healthy dependence without any shame and implies that what was given was nourishment, not a burden — something that fostered strength rather than resulted in debt.
- Raleigh's name — Sir Walter Raleigh embodies the Elizabethan drive for exploration that set English sights on the Americas. His name on the window symbolizes the entire journey — from adventure and colonization to eventual independence — that led to the creation of the United States.
Historical context
Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552–1618) was a key figure in the early English efforts to colonize North America, most notably through the ill-fated Roanoke Colony in the 1580s. Although he never actually visited what would become the United States, his vision for an English presence in the New World made him an important symbol for Americans. St. Margaret's Church in Westminster, located next to the Houses of Parliament, has long been a site for public and parliamentary commemorations. The memorial window was financed by American donors in the late nineteenth century, a time when both sides of the Atlantic actively promoted Anglo-American cultural diplomacy. James Russell Lowell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to the UK from 1880 to 1885, was in an excellent position to write such a poem — he had dedicated years to fostering the kind of transatlantic goodwill that the poem reflects. This verse acts as a dedicatory inscription intended to explain and justify the American gift to a British audience.
FAQ
Raleigh was a courtier, poet, and explorer during the Elizabethan era who backed the first English efforts to establish a colony in North America, notably the Roanoke Colony in what is now North Carolina. The colony disappeared under mysterious circumstances, but Raleigh's ventures sparked the concept of English America. To nineteenth-century Americans, he became a foundational figure—the man who first directed England's gaze toward the west.
In the late 1800s, both Britain and the United States made a deliberate effort to strengthen their cultural connections. One way to show this was by donating a memorial window to a notable church in London, symbolizing their shared heritage. Lowell, who previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Britain, was particularly committed to this form of diplomacy.
Lowell describes England as the mother that nurtured America into being. The "milk" refers to all that America received—like the English language, common law, Protestant Christianity, and its literary heritage. This metaphor creates a comforting image that recognizes the debt while avoiding any bitterness, presenting their connection as a natural kinship instead of one marked by colonial oppression.
Capitalizing them elevates them to proper noun status — akin to characters in a historical drama. It indicates that Lowell is addressing not just yesterday and today, but also History and the Living Nation as grand, almost mythological forces intertwined through time.
It consists of a single quatrain in iambic pentameter, following an ABAB rhyme scheme. While this is the same foundation used in a Shakespearean sonnet, Lowell opts for just one stanza. The concise, formal structure effectively serves its role as a dedicatory inscription, aiming to convey an authoritative and complete message in just four lines.
The message is clear: Americans remember their roots. By funding this window and adding Raleigh's name to it, they're expressing that English history is part of American history too, and that the gratitude felt across the Atlantic is real and deserves to be shared publicly.
Lowell views American identity as deeply connected to English culture rather than distinct from it. He takes pride in American independence but doesn’t see it as a complete departure from history. To him, being American involves inheriting and respecting English civilization while also creating something new — a perspective shared by many educated New Englanders of his time.