Author: Oliver Wendell Holmes

---

    Fast as the rolling seasons bring
    The hour of fate to those we love,
    Each pearl that leaves the broken string
    Is set in Friendship's crown above.
    As narrower grows the earthly chain,
    The circle widens in the sky;
    These are our treasures that remain,
    But those are stars that beam on high.


    We miss - oh, how we miss! - his face, - 
    With trembling accents speak his name.
    Earth cannot fill his shadowed place
    From all her rolls of pride and fame;
    Our song has lost the silvery thread
    That carolled through his jocund lips;
    Our laugh is mute, our smile is fled,
    And all our sunshine in eclipse.

    And what and whence the wondrous charm
    That kept his manhood boylike still, - 
    That life's hard censors could disarm
    And lead them captive at his will?
    His heart was shaped of rosier clay, - 
    His veins were filled with ruddier fire, - 
    Time could not chill him, fortune sway,
    Nor toil with all its burdens tire.

    His speech burst throbbing from its fount
    And set our colder thoughts aglow,
    As the hot leaping geysers mount
    And falling melt the Iceland snow.
    Some word, perchance, we counted rash, - 
    Some phrase our calmness might disclaim,
    Yet 't was the sunset's lightning's flash,
    No angry bolt, but harmless flame.

    Man judges all, God knoweth each;
    We read the rule, He sees the law;
    How oft his laughing children teach
    The truths his prophets never saw
    O friend, whose wisdom flowered in mirth,
    Our hearts are sad, our eyes are dim;
    He gave thy smiles to brighten earth, - 
    We trust thy joyous soul to Him!

    Alas! - our weakness Heaven forgive!
    We murmur, even while we trust,
    "How long earth's breathing burdens live,
    Whose hearts, before they die, are dust!"
    But thou! - through grief's untimely tears
    We ask with half-reproachful sigh - 
    "Couldst thou not watch a few brief years
    Till Friendship faltered, 'Thou mayst die'?"

    Who loved our boyish years so well?
    Who knew so well their pleasant tales,
    And all those livelier freaks could tell
    Whose oft-told story never fails?
    In vain we turn our aching eyes, - 
    In vain we stretch our eager hands, - 
    Cold in his wintry shroud he lies
    Beneath the dreary drifting sands!

    Ah, speak not thus! He lies not there!
    We see him, hear him as of old!
    He comes! He claims his wonted chair;
    His beaming face we still behold!
    His voice rings clear in all our songs,
    And loud his mirthful accents rise;
    To us our brother's life belongs, - 
    Dear friends, a classmate never dies!

---

Type of Poem: Elegy

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This heartfelt and sentimental poem deals with themes of loss, remembrance, and the enduring power of friendship. The author employs a rhythmic and rhymed structure that moves the reader through the stages of grief, from the initial shock of loss to the eventual realization that the deceased's spirit lives on in cherished memories and ongoing influence.

In the first stanza, the poet introduces the metaphor of a broken string of pearls, where each pearl symbolizes the loss of a loved one. These losses, while painful, are portrayed as enriching the crown of Friendship, thereby indicating that death doesn't sever bonds but rather transforms them. The tone is one of poignant nostalgia tinged with hope, as the poet asserts that our earthly losses become heavenly treasures, and our loved ones become stars beaming down upon us.

As the poem progresses, the poet vividly describes the departed friend's character and the joy they brought to life, using vibrant metaphors such as "his heart was shaped of rosier clay," and "his speech burst throbbing from its fount." This not only paints a lively picture of the loved one but also underscores the depth of the loss.

However, the poem ends on a hopeful note, reminding the reader that a loved one's presence persists in shared songs, stories, and laughter. The phrase "a classmate never dies" encapsulates the poem's ultimate message that death is not an end but a transformation, and that those we love continue to exist in our hearts and memories. The use of direct address, "Dear friends," makes this message more personal and poignant, inviting the reader to share in the poet's beliefs about love, loss, and the enduring power of friendship.