"Oh Captain, My Captain"

Full Title

"Oh Captain, My Captain"

Description

The noted poet Walt Whitman composed this poem in memory of Lincoln shortly after his assassination.

Transcription

I.
O CAPTAIN! my captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people are exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
Leave you not the little spot,
Where on the deck my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

II.
O captain! my captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
O captain! dear father!
This arm I push beneath you;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.

III.
My captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will:
But the ship, the ship is anchor'd safe, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won:
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with silent tread,
Walk the spot my captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Source

Walt Whitman Archive

Rights

This item may be reproduced and used for any purpose, including research, teaching, private study, publication, broadcast or commercial use, with proper citation and attribution.

Tags

• transcribed

• man

• cultural

• grief

• honoring

• mourning

Cite this Item

Whitman, Walt. ""Oh Captain, My Captain"". New-York Saturday Press. Remembering Lincoln. Web. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://rememberinglincoln.fords.org/node/517

Item Type

Document

Creator

Whitman, Walt

Publisher

New-York Saturday Press

Date

November 4, 1865

Region

Union states