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A Sea-Shore Grave. To M. J. L.

By Sidney Lanier

Topics: classic

By Sidney and Clifford Lanier.     O wish that's vainer than the plash     Of these wave-whimsies on the shore:     "Give us a pearl to fill the gash -     God, let our dead friend live once more!"     O wish that's stronger than the stroke     Of yelling wave and snapping levin;     "God, lift us o'er the Last Day's smoke,     All white, to Thee and her in Heaven!"     O wish that's swifter than the race     Of wave and wind in sea and sky;     Let's take the grave-cloth from her face     And fall in the grave, and kiss, and die!     Look! High above a glittering calm     Of sea and sky and kingly sun,     She shines and smiles, and waves a palm -     And now we wish - Thy will be done!     Montgomery, Alabama, 1866.

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"By Sidney and Clifford Lanier...."

Exploring the themes of classic, Sidney Lanier delivers a powerful performance in "A Sea-Shore Grave. To M. J. L."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Sidney Lanier

"By Sidney and Clifford Lanier...." by Sidney Lanier

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Sidney Lanier

About Sidney Lanier

Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) was an American poet and musician whose poems—including "The Marshes of Glynn" and "Song of the Chattahoochee"—are known for their musical quality and celebration of the Southern landscape.

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