In Memoriam Philip Bourke Marston
The poem is a lamentation of the speaker's inability to express their grief through song after the loss of a dear friend. The speaker reflects on the love and kindness they received from the deceased and feels overwhelmed by their absence. They acknowledge that others who loved the departed will also mourn, but the speaker's own sorrow is so profound that it has silenced their creative voice.
By Edith Nesbit · First published 1895 · Genre: Biography, Non-fiction, Historical · 320 words
First lines
When you were tired and went away, / I said, amid my new heart-ache: / "When I catch breath from pain some day, / I will teach grief a worthier way, / And make a great song for his sake!"
Yet there is silence. O my friend, / You gave me love such years ago -- / A child who could not comprehend / Its worth, yet kept it to the end -- / How can I sing when you lie low?
What this Textopian page supports
In Memoriam Philip Bourke Marston is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edith Nesbit, 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: Edith Nesbit
- Date: 1895 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Biography, Non-fiction, Historical, Literary criticism
- Length: 320 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
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- Work identity for In Memoriam Philip Bourke Marston by Edith Nesbit
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Similar titles
- Impromptu by Thomas Gray
- In Memoriam by Alfred Tennyson
- Death Has Crowned Him A Martyr by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- To A Dead Friend by Langston Hughes
- Epilogue by Lord Byron
- The Heart Of Grief by Edith Nesbit
Genres
- Biography — The work is a tribute to a real person, focusing on their life and achievements.
- Non-fiction — The content is based on real events and people, not invented.
- Historical — The work provides insight into a specific period and person's life.
- Literary criticism — The work discusses and evaluates the subject's literary contributions.
Tags
Poetry · Victorian Era · Death · Mourning · Grief · Loss · Memory · Nostalgia · Biographical · Tribute · Elegy · Literary