- description
- # Shiloh. A Requiem.
## Overview
"Shiloh. A Requiem." is a poem by Herman Melville, dated April 1862. It is presented as a segment within a larger collection of works.
## Context
This poem is part of the collection "[Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9)", a series of poems by Melville reflecting on the American Civil War. The text was extracted from the file "[battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8)" and is part of the larger "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" collection. This segment follows the poem "[Malvern Hill.](arke:01KG8AJM1RKJ719FFXEKV15QB6)" and precedes "[The Battle for the Mississipppi.](arke:01KG8AJM22RCYWH5C6F3F6SK93)".
## Contents
The poem reflects on the aftermath of the Battle of Shiloh, a significant engagement of the American Civil War. It describes the landscape of the battlefield, noting the presence of swallows skimming over the field where soldiers lay in repose after the conflict. The poem contrasts the former enmity of the soldiers with their current shared fate, emphasizing the futility of their conflict in the face of death. The setting is specifically linked to the "church so lone, the log-built one, That echoed to many a parting groan."
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:23.742Z
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- description_title
- Shiloh. A Requiem.
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- 1252
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- 2026-01-30T20:47:35.910Z
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- text
- Shiloh.
A Requiem.
(April, 1862.)
Skimming lightly, wheeling still,
The swallows fly low
Over the field in clouded days,
The forest-field of Shiloh--
Over the field where April rain
Solaced the parched ones stretched in pain
Through the pause of night
That followed the Sunday fight
Around the church of Shiloh--
The church so lone, the log-built one,
That echoed to many a parting groan
And natural prayer
Of dying foemen mingled there--
Foemen at morn, but friends at eve--
Fame or country least their care:
(What like a bullet can undeceive!)
But now they lie low,
While over them the swallows skim,
And all is hushed at Shiloh.
- title
- Shiloh.
A Requiem.