The Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes — Volume 09 The Iron Gate and Other Poems

"The Poetical Works of Oliver Wendell Holmes — Volume 09" by Oliver Wendell Holmes is a compilation of poems created in the latter part of the 1800s, specifically between 1877 and 1881. It encompasses a wide array of topics like growing older, companionship, the natural world, and individual thoughts. The poems frequently honor the loveliness of existence while recognizing its unavoidable changes. Holmes includes many poems that spark a yearning for days gone by and a deep respect for what has come before. One standout, “The Iron Gate,” studies the facts of getting older and the recollections that come with it, portraying a goodbye to younger years and a thankfulness for the inheritances of life. There are also poems that give praise to people he knew and famous individuals, like Whittier and George Peabody, displaying Holmes's skill at mixing personal feeling with bigger cultural ideas. Also found in the collection are poems that relate images of the earth to experiences of being human, further proving Holmes’s unique humor and understanding of what it means to be human. Using his poetic skill, Holmes makes links between times past and present, asking those reading to think deeply about their passage through time.