When Lylacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd

Walt Whitman's Poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd is a complex, deep poem. Its a powerful elegy that conveys the difficulty of Lincolns death. In the piece Whitman is constantly talking about lilacs and springtime. It was interesting to think of spring as a time of mourning and not a time of rebirth and new life. Spring is a time when things come back to life, come into beauty, and are no longer dormant. Within the first three lines you see the sorrow he affiliates with the sprintime. "I mourn'd, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring". Lincoln died in April, the peak of spring.
But yet it seems like, with the symbolism in the lilac, that it brings hope. One of my favorite lines was in section 7: "O death, I cover you over with roses and early lilies, But mostly and now the lilac that blooms the first." No matter what, spring always comes back, and the lilac will always grow. Cover death with life.
But I must say that my favorite part in the whole piece are a few lines in section 13 :"You only I hear-yet the star holds me, (but will soon depart) Yet the lilac with mastering odor holds me." This line shows how much Whitman mourned over Lincoln. It holds so much respect and honor. The stars, to me, symbolize Lincoln. Lincoln was an extremely influencial man. Whitman can't change the fact that the star has fallen. He must remember the lilac; the fragrance of hope.
Towards the end you can sense Whitmans acceptance of Lincolns death. My second favorite challenging part was in the very last section. "Passing, I leave thee lilac with heart-shaped leaves, I leave thee there in the door-yard, blooming, returning with spring." I feel like he is accepting the death here, but remembering the memories. Every springtime, the memory of Lincoln will return with the lilacs.
I can relate this piece to my life in the way of embracing hope in the hard times. Life would be so much more difficult and miserable without hope. We should always be looking forward to the springtime, a new season.