"When the Lilacs are in Bloom" sheet music cover, Rumford Falls, 1900

Contributed by Maine Historical Society

Description

The narrator of When the Lilacs are in Bloom left home promising, “I’ll come back love, when the lilacs are in bloom.” His tale details the consequences of staying away too long and his grief for “a loving sweetheart’s voice, now silenced in the tomb.”

Lilacs are sometimes associated with remembrance, love, and death. Poet Walt Whitman linked the recurring and annual scent of lilacs with the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in his 1865 poem, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d, inspiring generations of Americans to plant lilacs by their front doors.

View/Add Comments

Transcription

Item has a transcription view a full transcription


About This Item

  • Title: "When the Lilacs are in Bloom" sheet music cover, Rumford Falls, 1900
  • Creator: Walter Rolfe Music, Co
  • Creation Date: 1900
  • Subject Date: 1900
  • Location: Rumford Falls, Oxford County, ME
  • Media: Ink on paper
  • Dimensions: 34.9 cm x 26.7 cm
  • Local Code: Sheet Music 105
  • Collection: Sheet Music
  • Object Type: Text and Image

Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

People

Other Keywords


For more information about this item, contact:

Maine Historical Society
485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website

Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.

How to cite content on this site


More to Consider


Please post your comment below to share with others. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link.