O Captain! My Captain (Powerful Poetry)

"O Captain! My Captain!" is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the death of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. It is a brilliantly written poem in free verse style and manages to bring out the pain felt when one loses someone they care about.

Transcript

O Captain,

My Captain,

Our fearful trip is done,

The ship has weathered every wrack,

The prize we sought is won.

The port is near,

The bells I hear,

The people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel,

The vessel grim and daring.

But O heart,

Heart,

Heart,

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain,

My Captain,

Rise up and hear the bells,

Rise up,

For you the flag is flung,

For you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths,

For you the shores a-crowding,

For you they call,

The swaying mass,

Their eager faces turning.

Here,

Captain,

Dear father,

This arm beneath your head,

It is some dream that on the deck You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer,

His lips are pale and still.

My father does not feel my arm,

He has no pulse nor will.

The ship is anchored safe and sound,

Its voyage closed and done.

Some fearful trip,

The victor's ship Comes in with object one.

Exult,

O shores,

And ring,

O bells,

But I,

With mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.