Lilacs

"Lilac" is used over 10 times in this poem. The condition or nature of the lilac is important in the understanding of the poem.

1st Reference: "when lilacs in the dooryard bloom'd...I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring." - Here Whitman is saying that the sight of the lilacs and the spring in general is no longer a time of rebirth and happiness but of morning because it marks the time that Abraham Lincoln was assasinated, which is the main basis of the poem.

2nd Reference: "lilac blooming perennial and dropping star in the west, and thought of him I love." Again, the "blooming" of the lilac is mentioned, which would normally signify a hope or rebirth but to Whitman it represents sorrow and continued mourning for the death of this national figure and how the blooming of the lilacs will never again bring him the joy that it once did.

3rd Reference: " Stands the lilac-bush tall-growing with heart-shaped leaves of rich green."
- Whitman is reflecting on how he percieved the lilacs in his past, before the death of Lincoln. The heart shaped leaves represent the love people had for lincoln (source is at the bottom). This was his perspective when he saw the lilacs as a sense of love, hope and nature.

- He interupts to say that he is breaking the lilac as his dear president was destroyed.

4th Reference: "I give you my sprig of lilac" - Here Whitman is saying that the destroyed flower is being given to Lincoln on his coffin as a symbol or respect. I believe here lies the depth of this poem, that the lilac he once adored, is no longer of the same meaning to him, but upon much mourning and reflection he puts the lilac in which he destroyed ontop of Lincolns coffin as a token of his respect, honor and loyalty.

"The act of placing flowers in a coffin is a symbolic gesture of honor and respect. Although the flower is dead, a new lilac will be reborn in the spring. Similarly, when spring returns, Lincoln's memory will be revived through this elegy. Whitman's attempt to deal with death is a turning point in the poem. " (source below)

5th Reference: "now the lilac that blooms the first" - In this passage Whitman is signaling to the reader that he is no longer interested in destroying the lilac but more important to him is the rebirth of the lilac and through his elergy the rebirth of the spirit of Lincoln. This also proves that through the great depths of pain that he is experiencing, he is learning how to cope with the death as the elergy serves as his medication."

Last Reference: "I leave thee lilac with heart-shaped leaves, I leve thee there in the dooryard, blooming, returning with spring." Here the tone completely changes from complete and utter grief to a glimpse of hope. He recognizes that he will always feel the loss of his hero but he is also ready to move on.

I originally did not understand this poem, and then I read the following article which I derived all my ideas from in this post, that helped me understand the poem through the subject of the lilac.

Link: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/470522/when_lilacs_last_in_the_dooryard_bloomd.html?page=2&cat=2 By Cameron Pierce, published Dec 07, 2007