Consider “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” as an elegy.

last in the dooryard bloom d He says that every spring when lilacs will bloom again he will remember his beloved leader Lincoln So the lilac represents his deep grief and love for Lincoln The lilac bush is tall-growing The leaves are heart shaped and rich green in color The heart-shaped leaves suggest love and affection for the dead leader Abraham Lincoln Whitman plucks a sprig of lilac and offers it to the coffin of Lincoln The Star as a Symbol of Death Another powerful image in the elegy is the star Whitman calls it the western fallen star This star refers to Lincoln who guided the nation like a light but was suddenly taken away The setting of the star in the west symbolizes death and disappearance By using this symbol Whitman shows that Lincoln was not only a national leader but also a guiding star for his people Whitman writes O powerful western fallen star O great star disappear d Here the repetition of O makes it clear that Whitman is in deep sorrow He is grieving for his dead leader It makes this poem an elegy The Song of the Thrush Bird Then Whitman describes a thrush bird singing near a swamp The bird is alone like a hermit who has withdrawn from society to live only by himself nbsp Solitary the thrush The hermit withdrawn to himself Alone the bird sings a song This song sounds like it comes from a wounded throat The image of the bird suggests that it is singing a mourning song The bird is also grieving for Lincoln The Funeral Procession In elegies we find a funeral procession for the dead person This poem is no exception We find Whitman s description of Lincoln s funeral procession He imagines the coffin passing through cities forests and fields People are mourning everywhere The poet writes Coffin passes through lanes and streets People gather with torches and churches ring with mourning songs This shows that not just the poet but the whole nation is grieving for Lincoln Lincoln s death was a tragedy for all of America The elegy becomes a national mourning song Acceptance and Consolation Acceptance and finding consolation are important parts of an elegy Toward the end of the poem Whitman accepts death as a natural cycle of life He describes Manhattan the rivers the prairies grasslands the sun the morning evening and night All of nature joins in the mourning Yet at the same time all of life continues fields houses farms cities people working and living Whitman accepts that death is a natural part of life It is also a gateway to peace So Whitman finds consolation In conclusion this poem is a true elegy It expresses grief for a great leader Abraham Lincoln Whitman uses the lilac the star and the thrush as symbols of mourning He also describes the nation s sorrow and finally learns to accept death as natural