Synthesized answer
The imagery used to describe Bayard Taylor's death in "Ultima Thule" reveals a perspective that views death as a departure and a transition to an eternal realm. The lines "As the statues in the gloom / Watch o'er Maximilian's tomb, / So those volumes from their shelves / Watched him, silent as themselves" suggest a quiet, solemn scene where his books, like silent guardians, bear witness to his passing [1]. The image of Taylor being "gone, as travellers haste to leave / An inn, nor tarry until eve" portrays death as a swift departure from a temporary lodging, implying that his earthly existence was a transient phase [1]. This imagery suggests that Longfellow saw death not as an end, but as a journey to a different, perhaps more celestial, existence, questioning "In what realms afar, / In what planet, in what star, / In what vast, aerial space, / Shines the light upon thy face?" [1].
This perspective also emphasizes the enduring nature of Taylor's legacy. Despite his physical absence, his "music of his song / Rises o'er all elate and strong" [2]. The poem suggests that Taylor achieves a form of immortality, haunting his native land "As an immortal youth" and that his voice is…
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From the book
For works with similar titles, see Bayard Taylor . ← Dedication Ultima Thule by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Bayard Taylor The Chamber over the Gate → Bayard Taylor was a poet/journalist who died in 1878 11383 Ultima Thule — Bayard Taylor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow POEMS. BAYARD TAYLOR. Dead he lay among his books! The peace of God was in his looks. As the statues in the gloom Watch o'er Maximilian's tomb, So those volumes from their shelves Watched him, silent as themselves. Ah! his hand will nevermore Turn their storied pages o'er; Nevermore his lips repeat Songs of theirs, however sweet.…
not with hate; The brush-wood, hung Above the tavern door, lets fall Its bitter leaf, its drop of gall Upon his tongue. But still the music of his song Rises o'er all elate and strong; Its master-chords Are Manhood, Freedom, Brotherhood, Its discords but an interlude Between the words. And then to die so young and leave Unfinished what he might achieve! Yet better sure Is this, than wandering up and down An old man in a country town, Infirm and poor. For now he haunts his native land As an immortal youth; his hand Guides every plough; He sits beside each ingle-nook, His voice is in each…
, with organ tone, In Deukalion's life, thine own; On the ruins of the Past Blooms the perfect flower at last. Friend! but yesterday the bells Rang for thee their loud farewells; And to-day they toll for thee, Lying dead beyond the sea; Lying dead among thy books, The peace of God in all thy looks! ↑ In the Hofkirche at Innsbruck.
← Bayard Taylor Ultima Thule by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The Chamber over the Gate From my Arm-Chair → 11384 Ultima Thule — The Chamber over the Gate Henry Wadsworth Longfellow THE CHAMBER OVER THE GATE. Is it so far from thee Thou canst no longer see, In the Chamber over the Gate, That old man desolate, Weeping and wailing sore For his son, who is no more? O Absalom, my son! Is it so long ago That cry of human woe From the walled city came, Calling on his dear name, That it has died away In the distance of to-day? O Absalom, my son! There is no far or near, There is neither there nor…
For works with similar titles, see Night . ← The Burial of the Poet Ultima Thule by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Night The Poet and his Songs → 11399 Ultima Thule — Night Henry Wadsworth Longfellow NIGHT. Into the darkness and the hush of night Slowly the landscape sinks, and fades away, And with it fade the phantoms of the day, The ghosts of men and things, that haunt the light. The crowd, the clamor, the pursuit, the flight, The unprofitable splendor and display, The agitations, and the cares that prey Upon our hearts, all vanish out of sight. The better life begins; the world no more…
More questions about this book
- In your own words, how does Longfellow define or characterize "Ultima Thule" across the different sections of this excerpt, and what contrasting emotions or states of being does it represent in the "Dedication" poem versus the introductory context?
- Trace the journey described in the "Dedication" poem, from "Hesperides" and "Atlantis" to the "tempest-haunted Hebrides" and "Ultima Thule." What is the speaker's emotional trajectory throughout this journey, and what does it suggest about the nature of a "quest"?
- While both the "Bayard Taylor" and "Dedication" poems grapple with themes of time, loss, and ultimate destinations, how do their specific explorations of these themes differ, and what might each poem suggest about finding solace or meaning in life's ultimate realities?
- Considering the introductory information about "Ultima Thule" being a collection, and the specific dedications to Bayard Taylor and G.W.G., what common threads or overarching message might Longfellow be trying to convey through these seemingly distinct poems?