"O Captain! My Captain!" is an extended metaphor poem written in 1865 by Walt Whitman, concerning the death of American president Abraham Lincoln.
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Walt Whitman wrote the poem after Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Repeated metaphorical reference is made to this issue throughout the verse. The "ship" spoken of is intended to represent the United States of America, while its "fearful trip" recalls the troubles of the American Civil War. The titular "Captain" is Lincoln himself.[1]
With a conventional meter and rhyme scheme that is unusual for Whitman, it was the only poem anthologized (or published) during Whitman's lifetime.[2]
O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
- But O heart! heart! heart!
- O the bleeding drops of red,
- Where on the deck my Captain lies,
- Fallen cold and dead.
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
- Here Captain! dear father!
- This arm beneath your head;
- It is some dream that on the deck, fallen cold and dead.
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
- Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
- But I, with mournful tread,
- Walk the deck my Captain lies,
- Fallen cold and dead.
In 1996, Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer translated the poem to Hebrew and wrote music for it. This was done in addition to several prior translations in order to mark the anniversary of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination which took place one year earlier, in 1995. The song is since commonly performed or played in Yitzhak Rabin memorial day services all around Israel.
The 1989 film Dead Poets Society also makes repeated references to the poem, especially when English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams) tells his students that they may call him "O Captain! My Captain!" if they feel daring. At the end of the film, the students show their support to the recently-dismissed Keating in defiance against the school's headmaster, by calling the phrase in the classroom.
In the 1996 science fiction novel The Truth Machine, the protagonist repeats the poem's opening line in his mind, to exploit a software bug in the book's otherwise infallible lie detector.
The 2007 video game Mass Effect also references the poem on several occasions. Squad member Ashley Williams refers to the protagonist, Commander Shepard, as "O Captain! My Captain!" as a sign of respect. During several conversations between Williams and Shepard, Williams recites lines from the poem. Shepard comments that this is quite out of character for her. Williams also recites lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's Ulysses, saying it was her father's favorite.
The 1992 Full House Season 6, episode 6 titled "Educating Jesse" features Uncle Jesse struggling to recite "O Captain! My Captain!" from memory, as he is taunted by memories of his failed education.
In the How I Met Your Mother season 5, episode 3 (Robin 101), Ted is teaching Barney some ground rules for dating Robin. When Ted threatens to stop teaching him, Barney stands on his desk whilst saying the phrase "O Captain! My Captain" similar to that in Dead Poets Society.
In Dharma & Greg, season 1, episode 22 (Much Ado During Nothing), Dharma and Greg unintentionally overhear Greg's parents while they are having sex in a public area. In a moment of passion, Greg's mother exclaims, "O Captain! My Captain." In the final scene of the episode, Dharma uses the phrase again when speaking to Greg's parents, providing a clue to them that she knows of their outdoor escapade.
The phrase is also used on multiple occasions in the FX comedy, Archer.
In the second episode of the fourth season of Family Guy (Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High), first aired on May 8, 2005, the phrase "Captain! My Captain!" is used by the class of children Brian teaches at James Woods High, when feeling empowered and motivated to start careers.
In the episode "Sweetums" from the television show Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope reveals to Ron Swanson that the first line in his eulogy is "Oh captain, my captain! Ron Swanson: a swan song".[3] It is claimed that it only gets better from there.
Poet Nick Flynn's 2011 collection of poems, called "The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands," is a reference to this poem.