Shiloh - A poem by Herman Melville

Herman Melville - Shiloh

A Requiem

Skimming lightly, wheeling still,
The swallows fly low
Over the fields in cloudy days,
The forest-field of Shiloh -
Over the field where April rain
Solaced the parched ones stretched in pain
Through the pause of night
That followed the Sunday fight
Around the church of Shiloh -
The church, so lone, the log-built one,
That echoed to many a parting groan
And natural prayer
Of dying foeman mingled there -
Foeman at morn, but friends at eve -
Fame or country least their care:
(What like a bullet can undeceive!)
But now they lie low,
While over them the swallows skim,
And all is hushed at Shiloh.

Added: on January 28th, 2007 at 7:03 PM | Viewed: 6607 times | Comments and analysis of Shiloh by Herman Melville Comments (9)

Shiloh - Comments and Information
Poet: Herman Melville Poem: Shiloh Poem of the Day: Jul 10 2000 Comment 9 of 9, added on March 11th, 2008 at 11:44 AM. i like your book sepe from Micronesia Comment 8 of 9, added on April 7th, 2007 at 10:51 AM. Amazing poem. The author uses the placid scene of the church both before and after the war to dramatise the effects of the war and to highlight its irrelevance. the echoing of the churh highlight it's emptiness and how it and god has been abandoned during the war declan from Ireland Comment 7 of 9, added on January 28th, 2007 at 7:03 PM. does melville want us to think of the church as a good thing? or is melville showing us that as a battle rages, and men die, the church is just a building that stands there and does nothing. Take into account line 11 where he says "[the church] That echoed to many a parting groan". he uses the word "echoed". what does the church have to do to echo? absolutely nothing... which is the point i think melville is trying to convey... Beau from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Shiloh, has received 9 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Herman Melville with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Herman Melville Poem: Shiloh Last read: May 16 2008, 2:23PM Poem of the Day: Jul 10 2000 Viewed 6607 times. Added on January 28th, 2007 at 7:03 PM.

Melville Info
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