Ichabod.—Occasioned by the defection and fall of Daniel Webster. It is worthy a place by the side of Browning's "Lost Leader." In later years, Whittier wrote a poem on the theme, which, while not a retraction of his former position, is penned in a tenderer, more tolerant mood, "The Lost Occasion" is its title, and it is only just to the poet to read this second lyric, hardly less successful, in connection with the first.
Old Ironsides.—"Old Ironsides" was the popular name for the frigate Constitution. Dr. Holmes's poem appeared in the Boston Advertiser "at the time when it was proposed to break up the old ship as unfit for service."
Bedouin Song.—One of the most spirited, most genuinely lyrical of American poems.
Skipper Ireson's Ride.—These lines have an easy, swinging quality that is quite inimitable. One inclines to agree with Mr. Stedman: "Of all our poets he (Whittier) is the most natural balladist."
The Village Blacksmith.—The directness and homely strength of "The Village Blacksmith" have made it deservedly popular. One questions whether the last stanza might not have been omitted with advantage both to the unity and force of the poem.
The Last Leaf.—This masterpiece of mingled humor and pathos was a favorite poem of Abraham Lincoln.
The Old Kentucky Home.—The sincere and tender sentiment of this song, no less than its popular melody, has made it for many years a favorite. Even better known is Foster's "Old Folks at Home," which is said to have had a larger sale than any other American song.
Carolina.—The concluding lines of this lyric have an imaginative vigor rare in American poetry. Four stanzas are omitted.
Dirge for a Soldier.—Boker's Dirge was written in memory of General Philip Kearney.
Battle-hymn of the Republic.—Written in December, 1861, while Mrs. Howe was on a visit to Washington. Soon after the writer's return to Boston the lines were accepted for publication in the Atlantic Monthly by James T. Fields, who suggested the title of the poem. The song did not at first receive much notice, but before the Civil War was over had become very popular.