Sidney Lanier

The Raven Days

Our hearths are gone out, and our hearts are broken,
And but the ghosts of homes to us remain,
And ghostly eyes and hollow sighs give token
From friend to friend of an unspoken pain.

Raven symbolism

Ravens traditionally symbolize death and mourning in literature. Here, they represent collective grief and historical despair.

O, Raven Days, dark Raven Days of sorrow,
Bring to us, in your whetted ivory beaks,
Some sign out of the far land of To-morrow,

Temporal metaphor

The poet transforms time into a physical entity—days become dark birds carrying potential hope.

Some strip of sea-green dawn, some orange streaks.
Ye float in dusky files, forever croaking—
Ye chill our manhood with your dreary shade.
Pale, in the dark, not even God invoking,
We lie in chains, too weak to be afraid.
O Raven Days, dark Raven Days of sorrow,
Will ever any warm light come again?
Will ever the lit mountains of To-morrow
Begin to gleam across the mournful plain?
Source Wikipedia Poetry Foundation

Reading Notes

Civil War Grief and Collective Trauma

Lanier, a Confederate veteran, writes from the devastation of the post-Civil War South. The poem captures the collective emotional landscape of a defeated region—homes destroyed, hope shattered, future uncertain.

The recurring phrase 'Raven Days' transforms grief into a tangible, hovering presence. By personifying time as dark birds, Lanier creates a powerful metaphor for the lingering psychological impact of massive societal loss.

Structural Despair and Potential Renewal

The poem's structure mirrors its emotional content: two identical stanzas bookend a darker central section, suggesting a cyclical experience of grief. Key technical elements include:

• Repetition of 'Raven Days' creates a haunting rhythm • Capitalized 'To-morrow' suggests hope as a distant, almost mythical concept • Imagery moves from complete darkness to potential light, tracking emotional progression