“To a Foil’d European Revolutionaire”
“To a Foil’d European Revolutionaire” was written by Walt Whitman in reference to the European revolution in 1848. In the first stanza he urges the soldiers and the people on the rebellious side to keep fighting for the cause, “Liberty.” In the second stanza Whitman states their cause will be won when the time is right and the believers in the cause need to have patience. The third stanza is for Whitman to show the reader that he should be listened to. In the fourth stanza, he describes the difficulties and failures of the battle, but in the last two lines he says all is not lost. The fifth stanza states, liberty is their cause and as long as they keep fighting all will not be lost. The second to last stanza reflects on the greatness of the struggle itself, not just in victory.