What is Ulalume about? Edgar Allan Poe's poem tells of a grieving man who wanders at night in October with his Soul, called Psyche. A bright star rises, and he wants to follow it, hoping it will lead him to peace, though Psyche begs him not to. The path ends at a tomb. It belongs to his lost love, Ulalume, whom he buried on that very night a year before. Without realizing it, … [Read more...] about What Is Ulalume About?
Wild Nights! Wild Nights! Summary and Analysis
This Wild Nights! Wild Nights! summary begins with a burst of longing. In twelve short lines, Emily Dickinson's speaker imagines being with the person she loves on stormy nights. If they were together, those wild nights would be a luxury. A heart that has found its harbor no longer needs a compass or a chart. The poem ends with an image of rowing in Eden and the wish to "moor / … [Read more...] about Wild Nights! Wild Nights! Summary and Analysis
Ode to Psyche Summary and Analysis
This Ode to Psyche summary begins with a vision in a forest. John Keats's speaker wanders through a wood and comes upon two lovers asleep in the grass: Cupid and Psyche. Psyche, he says, is the youngest and loveliest of the Greek gods, yet she arrived too late to have a temple, priests or worshippers. So the poet offers to be all of these himself, and to build her a temple "In … [Read more...] about Ode to Psyche Summary and Analysis
What Is When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d About?
What is When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd about? It is Walt Whitman's long elegy for President Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated in April 1865, just as the Civil War was ending. The poem never names Lincoln. Instead, it weaves grief together with three symbols: a lilac bush blooming in spring, a great star sinking in the western sky, and a hermit thrush singing in a … [Read more...] about What Is When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d About?
The Donkey Summary and Analysis (G.K. Chesterton)
This The Donkey summary begins with a creature mocked by the world. In G.K. Chesterton's poem, a donkey speaks. It says it was born in a strange, upside-down moment, with an ugly head, a terrible cry and ears like wings. People starve it, beat it and laugh at it. But the donkey keeps a secret: it once had its glorious hour, when crowds shouted and laid palms before its feet. It … [Read more...] about The Donkey Summary and Analysis (G.K. Chesterton)