Memorial Day by Annie Wittenmyer
The poem calls clouds, birds, flowers, and people to honor the nation’s gallant dead, celebrate freedom and peace, and mark Memorial Day with reverence, love, and spring flowers.
By Annie Wittenmyer · First published 1895 · Genre: Patriotic Poetry, Memorial Poetry, Civil War Poetry · 337 words
First lines
Bow low, fair clouds, and kiss the earth, / Where Human Freedom had her birth, / Where heroes struggled in the fight, / And patriots died for human right. / Bow low, and rainbow glories shed / Above a nation's gallant dead; / Then bear the news o'er land and sea, / Earth's fettered millions may be free.
Fly low, bright birds with painted wings, / And join the song a nation sings, / A glad, and sacred jubilee, / For God has set his people free. / Sing of the flag with starry field, / Sing of the eagle and the shield, / Sing of the victories of Peace, / Sing of the time when wars shall cease.
Similar titles
- The Song Of Death by Robert Burns
- 1861 by Walt Whitman
- To The Princes Of Italy Exhorting Them To Set Her Free Italia Mia Benche L Parlar Sia Indarno by Francesco Petrarca
- French Revolution by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- For All We Have And Are by Rudyard Kipling
- To An American Soldier Going Into Action by Edwina Stanton Babcock
Genres
- Patriotic Poetry — The poem celebrates national freedom, the flag, the nation's dead, and collective American identity through elevated patriotic imagery.
- Memorial Poetry — Its central purpose is to honor fallen soldiers, adorn their graves with flowers, and sanctify the public observance of Memorial Day.
- Civil War Poetry — References to soldiers' graves, national redemption, freedom, and the nation's gallant dead strongly place the work within the commemorative culture following the American Civil War.
- Lyric Poetry — The work is a short, musical, emotionally expressive poem organized in rhythmic stanzas and direct apostrophes to clouds, birds, flowers, peace, and love.
Tags
Memorial Day observance · American Civil War remembrance · fallen soldiers · military graves · patriotism · national mourning · freedom · peace · human rights · American nationalism · Christian faith · divine providence
What this Textopian page supports
Memorial Day is listed on Textopian as a poem by Annie Wittenmyer, dated 1895 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Annie Wittenmyer
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Patriotic Poetry, Memorial Poetry, Civil War Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Religious Poetry
- Length: 337 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Memorial Day by Annie Wittenmyer
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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