Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Poem
July 13, 1853
The Middlebury Register
Middlebury, Addison County, Vermont
What is this article about?
A poem imagining Napoleon's prayer to be buried in the infinite sea, reflecting his fierce, free spirit, global fame, and legacy of crime and doom to millions.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Napoleon's Pray'er.
Yes! bury me deep in the infinite sea:
Let my heart have a limitless grave;
For my spirit in life was as fierce and as free As the course of the tempest wave.
As far from the reach of all earthly control Were the fathomless depths of my mind:
And the ebbs and flows of my single soul Were as tides to the rest of mankind.
Then my briny sail shall engirdle the world,
As in life did the voice of my fame;
And each mutinous billow that's sky-ward curled Shall seem to re-echo my name.
That name shall be stored in annals of crime In the uttermost corners of earth:
Now breathed as a curse, now a spell-word sublime,
In the glorified land of my birth.
Ay, plunge my dark heart in the infinite sea;
It would burst from a narrower tomb;
Shall less than an ocean his sepulchre be Whose mandate to millions was doom ?
Yes! bury me deep in the infinite sea:
Let my heart have a limitless grave;
For my spirit in life was as fierce and as free As the course of the tempest wave.
As far from the reach of all earthly control Were the fathomless depths of my mind:
And the ebbs and flows of my single soul Were as tides to the rest of mankind.
Then my briny sail shall engirdle the world,
As in life did the voice of my fame;
And each mutinous billow that's sky-ward curled Shall seem to re-echo my name.
That name shall be stored in annals of crime In the uttermost corners of earth:
Now breathed as a curse, now a spell-word sublime,
In the glorified land of my birth.
Ay, plunge my dark heart in the infinite sea;
It would burst from a narrower tomb;
Shall less than an ocean his sepulchre be Whose mandate to millions was doom ?
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Political
Liberty Independence
War Military
What keywords are associated?
Napoleon
Burial
Sea
Fame
Crime
Spirit
Tomb
Poem Details
Title
Napoleon's Pray'er.
Subject
Napoleon's Prayer For Burial At Sea
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas
Key Lines
Yes! Bury Me Deep In The Infinite Sea:
Let My Heart Have A Limitless Grave;
For My Spirit In Life Was As Fierce And As Free As The Course Of The Tempest Wave.
That Name Shall Be Stored In Annals Of Crime In The Uttermost Corners Of Earth:
Ay, Plunge My Dark Heart In The Infinite Sea;