The Mountain Graveyard
By John H. Bryant
I know a hill with a breast of flowers
Where the swallows play in the summer hours,
Where the grasshopper chirps and the wild bee hums,
And the low of the kine on the cool air comes,
And the soft winds breathe with a whispering sigh
From the skirt of the lofty woodland nigh.
There the cheerful sound of the streamlet rings
As it leaps away from the place of springs;
The strawberry blossoms in May dew there,
And ripens its fruit in the summer air;
And the grey squirrel barks in the beechen wood
As he gathers the nuts for his winter food.
‘Tis a spot where the daylight latest stays
And earliest comes with its crimson rays,
And life is above where the light winds go,
But the dead are asleep in the earth below.
There are shrubs and wild briars springing round,
And I know by the stones and the swell of the ground.Where the friends that have gone before me lie,
Each one with his feet to the eastern sky;
Yes, the fair young child, with its flaxen hair,
And age, with the marks of toil and care,
And youth, with its joys and its hopes so bright,
With a blooming cheek and an eye of light,
And they in the strength and midst of life,
Are gathered here from earth’s toil and strife;
And the mean of earth and the good and brave
Lie side by side in the quiet grave.I go to that spot when the early flowers
Awake on these bright sunny hills of ours;
When the airs of the south breathe over the plain,
And the bluebird sings in the woods again;
When, waked by rains from their winter rest,
Brook calls to brook on the mountain’s breast,
And the young leaves dance in each passing breath,
I often visit these haunts of death.When the summer comes, with its sultry heat,
And fierce on the earth the sunbeams beat;
When the leaf on the poplar’s bough is still,
And hushed is the voice of the mountain rill;
When the tall grass droops in the torrid glare,
And no sound is abroad in the motionless air,
I wander there for a breath of the gale
That’s a stranger then in my native vale.When the maize on the autumn hills is white,
And the yellow forests are bathed in light;
When the sun looks down with a milder ray,
And the dry leaves whirl in the gust away;
When the evening comes with glorious hues,
And the crimson clouds distill their dews;
When the winds of the icy north are still,
I sometimes visit this lonely hill.I have followed through winter’s sleety air
The lifeless form of a parent there,
When the deep snows over the mountains lay,
And the voiceless streams flowed slowly away.
Seven brothers and sisters stood around
The narrow vault in the frozen ground;
With their sainted mother, her great heart broke,
Her tall form bowed by the sudden stroke.
And we buried him there when the north winds blew,
And our tears fell fast like the summer dew,
And like ice to our hearts the cold earth slid,
With a hollow sound, on his coffin lid.And still as the years of my life depart
Shall that lonely spot be dear to my heart;
For many a friend of my earlier days,
Who journeyed with me life’s devious ways.
There lies in his long, long dreamless rest,
With the damp earth clinging around his breast;
And a voice comes up from each grassy tomb
As I tread those paths in the twilight’s gloom,
That tells me the hours of my own brief day
Are swiftly and silently passing away.
Summary of The Mountain Graveyard
- Popularity of “The Mountain Graveyard”: The poem “The Mountain Graveyard” by John Harland Bryant, an American poet, and writer, is a reflective poetic piece. It speaks about a cemetery located on a mountain and the speaker’s attachment with it. It also reflects on the predestined fate of humanity. Although the poem discusses a specific graveyard, yet its relevance with life makes it a treat for poetry lovers.
- “The Mountain Graveyard” As a Representative of Death: The poem accounts for the speaker’s feelings regarding life and death. It begins with the description of a beautiful hill that marks the center of natural beauty. The place seems to be the house of tiny creatures who love to play, hop and enjoy there. Also, the fertile land bears ripe fruit because it is a place that faces the sun for a long time. Although there seems life in every corner, the dead lying under the ground cannot enjoy the priceless beauty of nature. As the poem continues, the speaker explains that the hill has graves of almost all age groups. The gone spirits must have possessed power in the world but are now lying quietly in their graves. To show his strong association with this graveyard, the speaker states that when he goes to this spot every season, he witnesses the change of weather that brings noticeable changes to the earth there. However, any material modification does not make any difference to those who have left for eternal abode. He goes there to visit his friend’s graves as their silent graves serve as a reminder to him. The lifeless swelling of the ground reminds him of the ultimate end of his own life.
- Major Themes in “The Mountain Graveyard”: The transience of life, unavoidable death, and acceptance of facts are the major themes of the poem. The poem discusses life and death in a contrastive manner. On the one hand, the speaker talks about the vibrant color of nature that provides countless possibilities to almost all the creatures. It fulfills their needs and gives them a chance to grow to customize themselves. On the other hand, the speaker explains no matter how active life seems on earth, death willingly puts a full stop to all activities going on in the world. Although the graveyard on the hill is full of colors, the luring and captivating nature creates no difference for the dead. They might have exhibited a power show in their life, but now they are lying silently in their graves unshakeable by the grandeur of nature. Through this simple poem, the speaker highlights the unchangeable cycle of nature. Every living creature will depart one day, leaving all these glories behind.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “The Mountain Graveyard”
literary devices allow the writers to make their poetic writings beautiful and impactful. John Bryant has also used some literary devices in this poem “The Mountain Graveyard” whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “Shall that lonely spot be dear to my heart” and the sound of /o/ in “With a hollow sound, on his coffin lid.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /c/ in “crimson clouds” and the sound of /f/ in “fell fast.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ in “Are swiftly and silently passing away” and the sound of /r/ in “With their sainted mother, her great heart broke.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“And the grey squirrel barks in the beechen wood
As he gathers the nuts for his winter food.
‘Tis a spot where the daylight latest stays
And earliest comes with its crimson rays.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John H. Bryant has used imagery in this poem such as “There lies in his long, long dreamless rest”, “And a voice comes up from each grassy tomb” and “With the damp earth clinging around his breast.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different in nature. The poet has used death as an extended metaphor in the poem to show how everyone in the earth is heading toward the predestined end.
- Onomatopoeia: The poem shows the use of onomatopoeia that means the association of sounds with the things such as “Where the grasshopper chirps and the bee hums.”
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet has personified hill in the beginning of poem such as “I know a hill with a breast of flowers” or other things personified such as sound that is cheerful or hope that is bright.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. Expression like “frozen ground” and “long dreamless rest” symbolizes the death.
- Simile: The poem shows the use of similes such as “And our tears fell fast like the summer dew” and “And like ice to our hearts the cold earth slid.”
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Mountain Graveyard”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having metaphors.
- End Rhyme: End Rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. John H. Bryant has used end rhyme in the poem such as; “flowers/hours”, “rings/springs” and “day/away.”
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are seven stanzas in this poem with each comprising a different number of verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “The Mountain Graveyard” are suitable to quote in speeches and discussions while talking about the reality of this life.
“And a voice comes up from each grassy tomb
As I tread those paths in the twilight’s gloom,
That tells me the hours of my own brief day
Are swiftly and silently passing away.”
