Y., letter of. by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This poem is a satirical mock-index — a fictional alphabetical reference list from James Russell Lowell's *The Biglow Papers*, which is a collection of political satires.
The poem
Eagle, national, the late, his estate administered upon. Earth, Dame, a peep at her housekeeping. Eating words, habit of, convenient in time of famine. Eavesdroppers. Echetlæus. Editor, his position, commanding pulpit of, large congregation of, name derived from what, fondness for mutton, a pious one, his creed, a showman, in danger of sudden arrest, without bail. Editors, certain ones who crow like cockerels. Edwards, Jonathan. Eggs, bad, the worst sort of. Egyptian darkness, phial of, use for. Eldorado, Mr. Sawin sets sail for. Elizabeth, Queen, mistake of her ambassador. Emerson. Emilius, Paulus. Empedocles. Employment, regular, a good thing. Enfield's Speaker, abuse of. England, late Mother-Country, her want of tact, merits as a lecturer, her real greatness not to be forgotten, not contented (unwisely) with her own stock of fools, natural maker of international law, her theory thereof, makes a particularly disagreeable kind of sarse, somewhat given to bullying, has respectable relations, ought to be Columbia's friend, anxious to buy an elephant. Epaulets, perhaps no badge of saintship. Epimenides, the Cretan Rip Van Winkle. Episcopius, his marvellous oratory. Eric, king of Sweden, his cap. Ericsson, his caloric engine. Eriksson, Thorwald, slain by natives. Essence-peddlers. Ethiopian, the, his first need. Evangelists, iron ones. Eyelids, a divine shield against authors. Ezekiel, text taken from. Ezekiel would make a poor figure at a caucus. Faber, Johannes. Factory-girls, expected rebellion of. Facts, their unamiability, compared to an old-fashioned stage-coach. _Falstaffii, legio_. Family-trees, fruit of jejune, a primitive forest of. Faneuil Hall, a place where persons tap themselves for a species of hydrocephalus, a bill of fare mendaciously advertised in. Father of country, his shoes. Female Papists, cut off in the midst of idolatry. _Fenianorum, rixæ_. Fergusson, his 'Mutual Complaint,' etc. F.F., singular power of their looks. Fire, we all like to play with it. Fish, emblematic, but disregarded, where. Fitz, Miss Parthenia Almira, a sheresiarch. Flam, President, untrustworthy. Flirt, Mrs. Flirtilla, elegy on death of. Floyd, a taking character. _Floydus, furcifer_. Fly-leaves, providential increase of. Fool, a cursed, his inalienable rights. Foote, Mr., his taste for field-sports. Fourier, a squinting toward. Fourth of July ought to know its place. Fourth of Julys, boiling. France, a strange dance begun in, about to put her foot in it. Friar John. Fuller, Dr. Thomas, a wise saying of. Funnel, old, hurraing in. Gabriel, his last trump, its pressing nature. Gardiner, Lieutenant Lion. Gawain, Sir, his amusements. Gay, S.H., Esquire, editor of National Antislavery Standard, letter to. Geese, how infallibly to make swans of. Gentleman, high-toned Southern, scientifically classed. Getting up early. Ghosts, some, presumed fidgety, (but see Stilling's Pneumatology.) Giants formerly stupid. Gideon, his sword needed. Gift of tongues, distressing case of. Gilbert, Sir Humphrey. Globe Theatre, cheap season-ticket to. Glory, a perquisite of officers, her account with B. Sawin, Esq. Goatsnose, the celebrated interview with. God, the only honest dealer. Goings, Mehetable, unfounded claim of, disproved. Gomara, has a vision, his relationship to the Scarlet Woman. Governor, our excellent. Grandfather, Mr. Biglow's, safe advice of. Grandfathers, the, knew something. Grand jurors, Southern, their way of finding a true bill. _Grantus, Dux_. Gravestones, the evidence of Dissenting ones held doubtful. Gray's letters are letters. Great horn spoon, sworn by. Greeks, ancient, whether they questioned candidates. Green Man, sign of. Habeas corpus, new mode of suspending it. Hail Columbia, raised. Ham, sandwich, an orthodox (but peculiar) one, his seed, their privilege in the Bible, immoral justification of. Hamlets, machine for making. Hammon. Hampton Roads, disaster in. Hannegan, Mr., something said by. Harrison, General, how preserved. Hat, a leaky one. Hat-trees in full bearing. Hawkins, his whetstone. Hawkins, Sir John, stout, something he saw. Hawthorne. Hay-rick, electrical experiments with. Headlong, General. Hell, the opinion of some concerning, breaks loose. Henry the Fourth of England, a Parliament of, how named. Hens, self-respect attributed to. Herb, the Circean. Herbert, George, next to David. Hercules, his second labor probably what. Hermon, fourth-proof dew of. Herodotus, story from. Hesperides, an inference from. Hessians, native American soldiers. Hickory, Old, his method. Higgses, their natural aristocracy of feeling. Hitchcock, Doctor. Hitchcock, the Rev. Jeduthun, colleague of Mr. Wilbur, letter from, containing notices of Mr. Wilbur, ditto, enclosing macaronic verses, teacher of high-school. Hogs, their dreams. Holden, Mr. Shearjashub, Preceptor of Jaalam Academy, his knowledge of Greek limited, a heresy of his, leaves a fund to propagate it. Holiday, blind man's. Hollis, Ezra, goes to Cornwallis. Hollow, why men providentially so constructed. Holmes, Dr., author of 'Annals of America.,' Homer, a phrase of, cited. Homer, eldest son of Mr. Wilbur. Homers, democratic ones, plums left for. Hotels, big ones, humbugs. House, a strange one described. Howell, James, Esq., story told by, letters of, commended. Huldah, her bonnet. Human rights out of order on the floor of Congress. Humbug, ascription of praise to, generally believed in. Husbandry, instance of bad. Icarius, Penelope's father. Icelander, a certain uncertain. Idea, the Southern, its natural foes, the true American. Ideas, friction ones unsafe. Idyl defined. Indecision, mole-blind. Infants, prattlings of, curious observation concerning. Information wanted (universally, but especially at page). Ishmael, young. Jaalam, unjustly neglected by great events. Jaalam Centre, Anglo-Saxons unjustly suspected by the young ladies there "Independent Blunderbuss," strange conduct of editor of, public meeting at, meeting-house ornamented with imaginary clock. Jaalam, East Parish of. Jaalam Point, lighthouse on, charge of, prospectively offered to Mr. H. Biglow. _Jacobus, rex_. Jakes, Captain, reproved for avarice. Jamaica. James the Fourth, of Scots, experiment by. Jarnagin, Mr., his opinion of the completeness of Northern education. Jefferson, Thomas, well-meaning, but injudicious. Jeremiah, hardly the best guide in modern politics. Jerome, Saint, his list of sacred writers. Jerusha, ex-Mrs. Sawin. Job, Book of, Chappelow on. Johnson, Andrew, as he used to be, as he is: see Arnold, Benedict. Johnson, Mr., communicates some intelligence. Jonah, the inevitable destiny of, probably studied internal economy of the cetacea, his gourd, his unanimity in the whale. Jonathan to John. Jortin, Dr., cited. Journals, British, their brutal tone. Juanito. Judea, everything not known there, not identical with A.D. Judge, the, his garden, his hat covers many things. Juvenal, a saying of. Kay, Sir, the, of modern chivalry. Key, brazen one. Keziah, Aunt, profound observation of. Kinderhook. Kingdom Come, march to, easy. Königsmark, Count. Lablache surpassed. Lacedæmonians banish a great talker. Lamb, Charles, his epistolary excellence. Latimer, Bishop, episcopizes Satan. Latin tongue, curious information concerning. Launcelot, Sir, a trusser of giants formerly, perhaps would find less sport therein now. Laura, exploited. Learning, three-story. Letcher, _de la vieille roche_. _Letcherus, nebulo_. Letters, classed, their shape, of candidates, often fatal. Lettres Cabalistiques, quoted. Lewis, Dixon H., gives his view of slavery. Lewis Philip, a scourger of young native Americans, commiserated (though not deserving it). Lexington. Liberator, a newspaper, condemned by implication. Liberty, unwholesome for men of certain complexions. Licking, when constitutional. Lignum vitæ, a gift of this valuable wood proposed. Lincoln, too shrewd to hang Mason and Slidell. Literature, Southern, its abundance. Little Big Boosy River. Longinus recommends swearing, note (Fuseli did same thing). Long-sweetening recommended. Lord, inexpensive way of lending to. Lords, Southern, prove _pur sang_ by ablution. Lost arts, one sorrowfully added to list of. Louis the Eleventh of France, some odd trees of his. Lowell, Mr. J.R., unaccountable silence of. Luther, Martin, his first appearance as Europa. Lyæus. Lyttelton, Lord, his letters an imposition. Macrobii, their diplomacy. Magoffin, a name naturally noble. Mahomet, got nearer Sinai than some. Mahound, his filthy gobbets. Mandeville, Sir John, quoted. Mangum, Mr., speaks to the point. Manichæan, excellently confuted. Man-trees, grow where. Maori chieftains. Mapes, Walter, quoted, paraphrased. Mares'-nests, finders of, benevolent. Marius, quoted. Marshfield. Martin, Mr. Sawin used to vote for him. Mason and Dixon's line, slaves north of. Mason an F.F.V. Mason and Slidell, how they might have been made at once useful and ornamental. Mass, the, its duty defined. Massachusetts, on her knees, something mentioned in connection with, worthy the attention of tailors, citizen of, baked, boiled, and roasted (_nefandum!_). Masses, the, used as butter by some. Maury, an intellectual giant, twin birth with Simms (which see). Mayday a humbug.
This poem is a satirical mock-index — a fictional alphabetical reference list from James Russell Lowell's *The Biglow Papers*, which is a collection of political satires. Each entry is crafted to resemble an index item from a serious book, but the descriptions are tinged with sharp wit, sarcasm, and pointed political commentary on subjects such as slavery, the Civil War, editors, politicians, and American nationalism. It’s like Lowell's clever way of slipping a full political roast into the guise of a dull reference tool.
Line-by-line
Eagle, national, the late, his estate administered upon. Earth, Dame, a peep at her housekeeping.
Editor, his position, commanding pulpit of,
England, late Mother-Country, her want of tact,
Facts, their unamiability, compared to an old-fashioned stage-coach.
Family-trees, fruit of jejune, a primitive forest of.
Faneuil Hall, a place where persons tap themselves for a species of hydrocephalus,
Ham, sandwich, an orthodox (but peculiar) one, his seed,
Hell, the opinion of some concerning, breaks loose.
Johnson, Andrew, as he used to be, as he is: see Arnold, Benedict.
Lowell, Mr. J.R., unaccountable silence of.
Mason and Slidell, how they might have been made at once useful and ornamental.
Mayday a humbug.
Tone & mood
The tone is dry, sardonic, and gleefully irreverent. Lowell writes like someone who sees the spectacle of American political life as both infuriating and absurd, choosing to wield a straight face as his best weapon against it. Beneath the jokes lies genuine anger — regarding slavery, political cowardice, and British meddling — but it’s presented with the cool precision of an encyclopedia entry, making it both funnier and sharper than pure rage would be.
Symbols & metaphors
- The National Eagle — The bald eagle, representing America, is depicted here as a deceased man whose estate is being divided — a stark reflection of a country that Lowell believes has failed to uphold or has betrayed its founding principles, especially regarding slavery and the Civil War.
- The Index Form — The mock-index format represents a false sense of order. Genuine indexes present knowledge in a neutral way, but Lowell's index takes that illusion of neutrality and uses it to insert radical political views, implying that official discourse conceals its biases behind a facade of objectivity.
- Family Trees — The 'primitive forest' of family trees reflects the empty aristocratic aspirations of the Southern planter class, who relied on their lineage to validate their social standing and the practice of slavery.
- Hell breaking loose — The Civil War, never referred to by name, comes across as Hell breaking loose—a methodical, almost bureaucratic way of depicting a national disaster that highlights how normalized violence and chaos had become.
- Benedict Arnold cross-reference — Cross-referencing Andrew Johnson and Benedict Arnold uses the index’s own system to target a political figure. What should be a neutral editorial tool instead transforms into a form of condemnation.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell published *The Biglow Papers* in two parts: the first in 1848, which criticized the Mexican-American War, and the second in 1867, which dealt with the Civil War and its consequences. This mock index comes from the second part and acts as a satirical device—a faux back-matter for a book that is essentially a political satire. Lowell was writing during a time when American democracy was facing significant challenges: the war had just concluded, Reconstruction was beginning, and leaders like Andrew Johnson were already sabotaging it. Additionally, Lowell was a notable editor for *The Atlantic Monthly* and *The North American Review*, which contributed to his keen perception of the media's pretensions. The index format was a familiar comic technique in 18th- and 19th-century satire, employed by authors like Jonathan Swift and Henry Fielding, and Lowell uses it with a full appreciation of that literary tradition.
FAQ
That’s precisely the point. Lowell employs the structure of a book index as a satirical tool — a technique that dates back to Swift and Fielding. By presenting his political critiques in the guise of dull reference entries, he amplifies the impact of his humor. The 'poem' is essentially a continuous piece of comic prose-poetry that turns a mundane format into a weapon.
*The Biglow Papers* is a two-part satirical work by Lowell. The first series, published in 1848, criticized the Mexican-American War, while the second series, released in 1867, addressed the Civil War and Reconstruction. This mock-index serves as a humorous appendix to the second series, mocking politicians, editors, England, and the institution of slavery.
This is one of Lowell's sharpest jokes. Andrew Johnson took over after Lincoln and then worked to dismantle Reconstruction, bringing former Confederate leaders back into power. Lowell likens him to Benedict Arnold — the most notorious traitor in American history — by employing the index's own cross-reference system as a judgment.
During the Civil War, Britain nearly recognized the Confederacy, a move that would have significantly harmed the Union. Lowell expresses her anger over this and points out England's shortcomings — bullying, poor diplomacy, sending fools abroad, and interference — while stating that she 'ought to be Columbia's friend.' It’s a disheartened lecture from someone who hoped for more.
Pro-slavery advocates in 19th-century America frequently referred to the 'Curse of Ham' from Genesis — the notion that Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan, which they claimed justified the enslavement of Black people. Lowell describes this justification as 'immoral' and 'peculiar,' effectively using the index format to dismiss one of slavery's most prevalent theological arguments in a single, straightforward line.
The entry 'Lowell, Mr. J.R., unaccountable silence of' is a clever self-deprecating joke. By highlighting his own silence as something noteworthy, he admits that he hasn't always been as vocal as he could be, and he preemptively counters any criticism by making the joke himself first.
Faneuil Hall in Boston earned the nickname 'Cradle of Liberty' due to its history of stirring patriotic speeches. Lowell humorously suggests that speakers there might as well have 'hydrocephalus' — water on the brain — implying that their lofty rhetoric is often just inflated self-importance. The phrase 'bill of fare mendaciously advertised' indicates that while the hall claims to offer liberty, the actual experience often disappoints.
James Mason and John Slidell were Confederate diplomats en route to Europe aboard a British ship when the Union Navy intercepted them in 1861, almost sparking a war with Britain. Lincoln ultimately decided to release them. Lowell's quip that they could have been made 'useful and ornamental' hints at a grim idea that executing them would have been more gratifying — and visually striking — than simply letting them go.