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Wept with the passion, etc.: An article in the _Atlantic by James Russell Lowell

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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This poem — which is more of a prose-poem or verse meditation — contemplates the immense public grief that erupted after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.

Poet
James Russell Lowell
Core theme
Death
The PoemFull text

Wept with the passion, etc.: An article in the _Atlantic

James Russell Lowell

Monthly_ for June, 1885, began with this passage: "The funeral procession of the late President of the United States has passed through the land from Washington to his final resting-place in the heart of the prairies. Along the line of more than fifteen hundred miles his remains were borne, as it were, through continued lines of the people; and the number of mourners and the sincerity and unanimity of grief was such as never before attended the obsequies of a human being; so that the terrible catastrophe of his end hardly struck more awe than the majestic sorrow of the people."

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This poem — which is more of a prose-poem or verse meditation — contemplates the immense public grief that erupted after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Lowell includes a passage that describes how Lincoln's funeral procession covered over fifteen hundred miles and attracted mourners like never before. The piece invites us to reflect on how a nation's sorrow can transform into something truly majestic and awe-inspiring.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. The funeral procession of the late President of the United States has passed through the land from Washington to his final resting-place in the heart of the prairies.

    Editor's note

    Lowell begins with a straightforward historical fact: Lincoln's body was transported by train from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois — a distance of more than fifteen hundred miles. The phrase "heart of the prairies" adds a subtle emotional layer, bringing Lincoln back to the American heartland of his origins, creating a sense of closure.

  2. Along the line of more than fifteen hundred miles his remains were borne, as it were, through continued lines of the people;

    Editor's note

    The image of "continued lines of the people" is powerful — crowds didn't merely gather at stops; they created an almost unbroken human chain along the route. The phrase "as it were" reflects Lowell's caution against exaggeration, yet the scene he describes shows a whole nation lining the roadside in mourning.

  3. and the number of mourners and the sincerity and unanimity of grief was such as never before attended the obsequies of a human being;

    Editor's note

    Lowell makes a striking assertion: no funeral in recorded history has inspired this level of united, heartfelt mourning. The term "obsequies" (funeral rites) adds a formal, almost ceremonial gravity that aligns with the event's seriousness. He isn't merely stating that many people attended — he's emphasizing that the grief was *authentic* and *collective*, which is much less common.

  4. so that the terrible catastrophe of his end hardly struck more awe than the majestic sorrow of the people.

    Editor's note

    This is the emotional payoff of the whole passage. The assassination itself—a shocking, violent act—is juxtaposed with the people's grief, and Lowell implies that this grief was *equally* awe-inspiring. By describing sorrow as "majestic," he reframes mourning as not a sign of weakness or helplessness, but as something grand and dignified. The nation’s shared emotion transforms into a monument in its own right.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Solemn and measured, with a sense of genuine wonder. Lowell writes as a careful historian might at a graveside — restrained, precise, yet clearly touched. There's no sentimentality here, just a steady, clear-eyed acknowledgment that something extraordinary took place, both in Lincoln's death and in how the country reacted to it.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The funeral procession
The procession is more than just a logistical event; it symbolizes national unity—a country coming together to say goodbye to one man. Its remarkable length of fifteen hundred miles serves as a tangible representation of collective grief.
The heart of the prairies
Springfield, Illinois, the home of Lincoln, is portrayed this way to imply that he is being brought back to his roots — to the everyday, working-class American scenery that influenced him. This adds a sense of closure and belonging to his burial.
Majestic sorrow
The combination of "majestic" and "sorrow" serves as the central symbol of the piece. Grief is typically a private and diminishing experience, but Lowell transforms it into something public, powerful, and nearly sublime—a force that stands equal to the catastrophe that brought it about.

§06Historical context

Historical context

James Russell Lowell was a key figure in American literature during the nineteenth century—he was a poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He played a significant role as the editor of *The Atlantic Monthly* during a pivotal time and stayed connected to the publication for much of his life. The excerpt provided here comes from the June 1885 issue of *The Atlantic*, which was published twenty years after Lincoln's assassination in April 1865. By this time, Lincoln had already become a larger-than-life figure, but Lowell's perspective is refreshingly straightforward—he focuses on the historical facts and allows them to convey their own meaning. This piece is part of a tradition of American elegiac writing that features works like Whitman's "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd," created shortly after Lincoln's death. Lowell's reflection is more detached and retrospective, written from a two-decade distance, yet it is still deeply affected by the insights that the nation's mourning revealed about its identity.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated on April 14, 1865, and passed away the next morning. His body was taken by train from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois, for burial.

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