{"id":"01KG8AJS1YY9TGYEPGE9N2XQGW","cid":"bafkreifkyhd2kcq2rawo3qpze45hc72agguvgg65blbw5xx2nizkfl4lta","type":"segment","properties":{"description":"# A Meditation.\n\n## Overview\n\"A Meditation.\" is a poetic segment extracted from the larger work, [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9). This segment, spanning lines 4881-4965 of its source file, is a reflective poem attributed to a \"northerner\" after attending the funerals of two kinsmen—a national and a confederate officer—who were brothers and died from Civil War wounds.\n\n## Context\nThis poem is part of [Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.](arke:01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9), a collection of poetry by Herman Melville, which is itself part of the broader [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. It was extracted from the digital text file [battle_pieces_and_aspects_of_the_war.txt](arke:01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8). Preceded by the poem [Lee in the Capitol.](arke:01KG8AJS1ZDQPYKP1F9FSF8A07), \"A Meditation.\" is followed by the [Footnotes](arke:01KG8AJS1YZ9QWGH80MPQQXFZK) section of the collection.\n\n## Contents\nThe poem explores themes of reconciliation, shared humanity, and the tragic nature of the American Civil War. It describes instances where soldiers from opposing sides recognized kinsmen or friends among their foes, sharing moments of tenderness and remorse. The verses highlight the \"strange remorse\" against the \"sanctioned sin of blood\" and \"Christian wars of natural brotherhood.\" It recounts anecdotes of camaraderie, such as soldiers calling to each other across trenches and former messmates striving \"as in school-boy rivalry.\" The poem concludes with a plea for forgiveness and mercy in the aftermath of the war, questioning the blame placed on the South and advocating for a \"manful soldier-view\" that honors bravery with mercy, as exemplified by the silent victors at Vicksburg.","description_generated_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:27.333Z","description_model":"gemini-2.5-flash-lite","description_title":"A Meditation.","end_line":4965,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:35.911Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"A Meditation.","source_file":"01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8","start_line":4881,"text":"A Meditation:\r\n\r\nAttributed to a northerner after attending the last of two funerals\r\nfrom the same homestead--those of a national and a confederate\r\nofficer (brothers), his kinsmen, who had died from the effects of\r\nwounds received in the closing battles.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nA Meditation.\r\n\r\n\r\nHow often in the years that close,\r\n  When truce had stilled the sieging gun,\r\nThe soldiers, mounting on their works,\r\n  With mutual curious glance have run\r\nFrom face to face along the fronting show,\r\nAnd kinsman spied, or friend--even in a foe.\r\n\r\nWhat thoughts conflicting then were shared.\r\n  While sacred tenderness perforce\r\nWelled from the heart and wet the eye;\r\n  And something of a strange remorse\r\nRebelled against the sanctioned sin of blood,\r\nAnd Christian wars of natural brotherhood.\r\n\r\nThen stirred the god within the breast--\r\n  The witness that is man’s at birth;\r\nA deep misgiving undermined\r\n  Each plea and subterfuge of earth;\r\nThe felt in that rapt pause, with warning rife,\r\nHorror and anguish for the civil strife.\r\n\r\nOf North or South they recked not then,\r\n  Warm passion cursed the cause of war:\r\nCan Africa pay back this blood\r\n  Spilt on Potomac’s shore?\r\nYet doubts, as pangs, were vain the strife to stay,\r\nAnd hands that fain had clasped again could slay.\r\n\r\nHow frequent in the camp was seen\r\n  The herald from the hostile one,\r\nA guest and frank companion there\r\n  When the proud formal talk was done;\r\nThe pipe of peace was smoked even ’mid the war,\r\nAnd fields in Mexico again fought o’er.\r\n\r\nIn Western battle long they lay\r\n  So near opposed in trench or pit,\r\nThat foeman unto foeman called\r\n  As men who screened in tavern sit:\r\n“You bravely fight” each to the other said--\r\n“Toss us a biscuit!” o’er the wall it sped.\r\n\r\nAnd pale on those same slopes, a boy--\r\n  A stormer, bled in noon-day glare;\r\nNo aid the Blue-coats then could bring,\r\n  He cried to them who nearest were,\r\nAnd out there came ’mid howling shot and shell\r\nA daring foe who him befriended well.\r\n\r\nMark the great Captains on both sides,\r\n  The soldiers with the broad renown--\r\nThey all were messmates on the Hudson’s marge,\r\n  Beneath one roof they laid them down;\r\nAnd free from hate in many an after pass,\r\nStrove as in school-boy rivalry of the class.\r\n\r\nA darker side there is; but doubt\r\n  In Nature’s charity hovers there:\r\nIf men for new agreement yearn,\r\n  Then old upbraiding best forbear:\r\n“_The South’s the sinner!_” Well, so let it be;\r\nBut shall the North sin worse, and stand the Pharisee?\r\n\r\nO, now that brave men yield the sword,\r\n  Mine be the manful soldier-view;\r\nBy how much more they boldly warred,\r\n  By so much more is mercy due:\r\nWhen Vickburg fell, and the moody files marched out,\r\nSilent the victors stood, scorning to raise a shout.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r","title":"A Meditation."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJ6FNQ0XKWBY52P8DRPC9","peer_type":"poetry_collection","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J1G8S4TRWXNCBRKCRKS8","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AJS1ZDQPYKP1F9FSF8A07","peer_type":"segment","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AJS1YZ9QWGH80MPQQXFZK","peer_type":"backmatter","predicate":"next"}],"ver":3,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:42.654Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:27.642Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF5C36SQEVDHC9CBNZZJH9K"}}