- description
- # Ball’s Bluff. A Reverie.
## Overview
"Ball's Bluff. A Reverie." is a poem by [Herman Melville](arke:01KG89HZ96H2FXP7V7DNWS28M5), dated October 1861. It is a segment within the larger collection [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9).
## Context
This poem was extracted from the text file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8), which is part of the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It follows the poem "Lyon. Battle of Springfield, Missouri." and precedes "Dupont’s Round Fight."
## Contents
The poem reflects on the youthful enthusiasm of soldiers marching to war, contrasting it with the somber reality of conflict and loss. It opens with a scene of young men departing for battle, full of life and optimism, observed by the speaker from a window. The poem then shifts to a more introspective tone, with the speaker musing on the fate of these soldiers weeks later, acknowledging that some have met their end on the battlefield, specifically mentioning the cliffs of the Potomac. The "reverie" captures a moment of reflection on the ephemeral nature of youth and the harsh realities of war.
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:20.288Z
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- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- Ball’s Bluff. A Reverie.
- end_line
- 414
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
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- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 384
- text
- Ball’s Bluff.
A Reverie.
(October, 1861.)
One noonday, at my window in the town,
I saw a sight--saddest that eyes can see--
Young soldiers marching lustily
Unto the wars,
With fifes, and flags in mottoed pageantry;
While all the porches, walks, and doors
Were rich with ladies cheering royally.
They moved like Juny morning on the wave,
Their hearts were fresh as clover in its prime
(It was the breezy summer time),
Life throbbed so strong,
How should they dream that Death in a rosy clime
Would come to thin their shining throng?
Youth feels immortal, like the gods sublime.
Weeks passed; and at my window, leaving bed,
By night I mused, of easeful sleep bereft,
On those brave boys (Ah War! thy theft);
Some marching feet
Found pause at last by cliffs Potomac cleft;
Wakeful I mused, while in the street
Far footfalls died away till none were left.
- title
- Ball’s Bluff.
A Reverie.