THE POETS' TRIBUTES TO LOWELL by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This isn't a traditional poem; rather, it's a collection of poems and tributes from notable poets honoring James Russell Lowell, probably put together as an appendix or bibliographic note.
The poem
Longfellow's _Herons of Elmwood_; Whittier's _A Welcome to Lowell_; Holmes's _Farewell to Lowell, At a Birthday Festival_, and _To James Russell Lowell_; Aldrich's _Elmwood_; Margaret J. Preston's _Home-Welcome to Lowell_; Richard Watson Gilder's _Lowell_; Christopher P. Cranch's _To J.R.L. on His Fiftieth Birthday_, and _To J.R.L. on His Homeward Voyage_; James Kenneth Stephen's _In Memoriam; James Russell Lowell_, "Lapsus Calami and Other Verses"; William W. Story's _To James Russell Lowell_, Blackwood's Magazine, Vol. 150; Eugene Field's _James Russell Lowell_; Edith Thomas's _On Reading Lowell's "Heartsease and Rue."_
This isn't a traditional poem; rather, it's a collection of poems and tributes from notable poets honoring James Russell Lowell, probably put together as an appendix or bibliographic note. It highlights the deep admiration Lowell inspired among his literary contemporaries, with heavyweights like Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and others taking the time to contribute their words in his name. You can think of it as a guest book filled with signatures from the greatest poets of 19th-century America.
Line-by-line
Longfellow's _Herons of Elmwood_; Whittier's _A Welcome to Lowell_;
Holmes's _Farewell to Lowell, At a Birthday Festival_, and _To James Russell Lowell_;
Aldrich's _Elmwood_; Margaret J. Preston's _Home-Welcome to Lowell_;
Richard Watson Gilder's _Lowell_; Christopher P. Cranch's _To J.R.L. on His Fiftieth Birthday_, and _To J.R.L. on His Homeward Voyage_;
James Kenneth Stephen's _In Memoriam; James Russell Lowell_, "Lapsus Calami and Other Verses";
William W. Story's _To James Russell Lowell_, Blackwood's Magazine, Vol. 150;
Eugene Field's _James Russell Lowell_; Edith Thomas's _On Reading Lowell's "Heartsease and Rue."_
Tone & mood
The tone here is respectful and documentary. There’s no lyrical voice or emotional journey — it’s a straightforward list, and it feels like one. Yet beneath this simple bibliographic surface lies something quietly poignant: a community of writers picking up their pens each time one of their own achieves a milestone or passes away. The overall impact is one of warmth, admiration, and a shared literary bond.
Symbols & metaphors
- Elmwood — Lowell's family home in Cambridge, Massachusetts shows up in several works, like Longfellow's *Herons of Elmwood* and Aldrich's *Elmwood*. It symbolizes Lowell's connection to his roots, his New England identity, and the notion that a poet is deeply tied to their surroundings.
- The homecoming — Several tributes depict Lowell's return from his diplomatic posts in Spain and England as a homecoming — Preston's *Home-Welcome*, Whittier's *A Welcome*, Cranch's *Homeward Voyage*. This return symbolizes the poet's connection to his people, emphasizing that he belongs to them rather than just to foreign courts.
- The birthday — Holmes and Cranch both celebrate Lowell's fiftieth birthday as a special poetic event. In the literary culture of the 19th century, a poet's milestone birthday was almost like a public holiday — the birthday poem serves as a symbol of shared appreciation for a life dedicated to literature.
- In Memoriam — Stephen's elegy title references Tennyson's profound grief poem, giving Lowell's death a significance that ties it to the revered tradition of English-language mourning poetry. This phrase indicates that a prominent figure has died, and it's time for the literary community to mourn officially.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was a key figure in 19th-century American literature—he was a poet, critic, editor of The Atlantic Monthly, a Harvard professor, and even served as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and later Britain. By the time he turned fifty in 1869, he had become a national institution, and when he passed away in 1891, it sparked a wave of tributes. These remembrances highlight the close-knit American literary scene in Boston and Cambridge, where poets were not just colleagues but friends, celebrating each other's accomplishments in poetry. The presence of tributes from British sources and a Southern poet illustrates that, although Lowell's roots were in New England, his influence had truly spread across the nation and even overseas by the end of his life.
FAQ
It's a bibliographic list — a catalog of poems written *about* Lowell by various poets. This list was probably put together as an appendix or reference note in a collection of Lowell's works or a critical study of his life. It lacks meter, rhyme, and a lyric speaker. Instead of being literary in the traditional sense, its value lies in its historical and documentary significance.
The list is linked to Lowell because it shows up in a volume connected to him—likely a collected works or memorial edition. It was probably put together by an editor instead of Lowell himself, as some entries are elegies written after he passed away in 1891.
Elmwood is the Lowell family estate located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where James Russell Lowell was both born and passed away. The estate became so closely linked to him that other poets began to use it as a shorthand reference for Lowell himself. By naming a poem *Elmwood*, they were essentially saying *this poem reflects Lowell and all that he represented*.
Lowell played a key role in 19th-century American literature. He edited The Atlantic Monthly, taught at Harvard, worked as a diplomat, and knew almost every major writer of his time. Writing a tribute to him was not only a heartfelt gesture of friendship but also a chance to engage in the cultural dialogue he had influenced.
*Heartsease and Rue* (1888) is one of Lowell's later poetry collections. The title combines two plants that carry symbolic meanings — heartsease, a type of pansy linked to comfort and ease, and rue, which represents regret and bitterness. Thomas's poem in response is a poem-about-a-poem, a familiar way to pay literary tribute.
Preston's inclusion is a small yet significant detail. Lowell was a passionate abolitionist, deeply aligned with Northern politics, yet a respected Southern poet chose to honor him. By the time of his later career and diplomatic service, his literary reputation had grown beyond his political affiliations, earning him admiration from different regions.
An *In Memoriam* poem is an elegy, written to honor someone who has passed away. Given that Lowell died in 1891, Stephen's poem must have been composed in 1891 or later. The title also intentionally references Tennyson's renowned *In Memoriam A.H.H.* (1850), associating Lowell's death with significant literary losses.
It reveals that poetry served as a social art form in the 19th century. Poets crafted verses to celebrate each other's birthdays, farewells, reunions, and deaths. There was a mutual recognition that significant events in a major poet's life warranted poetic acknowledgment. This tradition of literary tribute has largely faded today, making this list seem like a glimpse into a distinctly different literary landscape.