To a Dead Man
To a Dead Man - context Summary
Published in Chicago Poems
Published in Sandburg’s 1916 collection Chicago Poems, "To a Dead Man" frames a simple, direct address to the dead. The speaker pleads for any sign from beyond the "dead line," confessing helplessness before silence. The brief, plain-stated lines emphasize absence and yearning rather than doctrinal answers, placing private grief within the stark, unadorned voice characteristic of Sandburg’s early work.
Read Complete AnalysesOver the dead line we have called to you To come across with a word to us, Some beaten whisper of what happens Where you are over the dead line Deaf to our calls and voiceless. The flickering shadows have not answered Nor your lips sent a signal Whether love talks and roses grow And the sun breaks at morning Splattering the sea with crimson.
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