Adieu to a Soldier
Adieu to a Soldier - context Summary
Composed Amid Civil War
Placed in the Drum-Taps cycle, Whitman’s short poem bids farewell to a soldier while situating the speaker as a fellow veteran of Civil War campaigning. It honors the soldier’s fulfilled mission and physical sacrifices, then shifts to the poet’s ongoing, inward struggle: an unending, moral and artistic campaign that continues after battle. The tone mixes camaraderie, respect, and restless determination rooted in wartime experience.
Read Complete AnalysesADIEU, O soldier! You of the rude campaigning, (which we shared,) The rapid march, the life of the camp, The hot contention of opposing fronts—the long manoeuver, Red battles with their slaughter,—the stimulus—the strong, terrific game, Spell of all brave and manly hearts—the trains of Time through you, and like of you, all fill’d, With war, and war’s expression. Adieu, dear comrade! Your mission is fulfill’d—but I, more warlike, Myself, and this contentious soul of mine, Still on our own campaigning bound, Through untried roads, with ambushes, opponents lined, Through many a sharp defeat and many a crisis—often baffled, Here marching, ever marching on, a war fight out—aye here, To fiercer, weightier battles give expression.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.