Written in the 1819 diary of Eliza Packer Gardiner (1788-1863) is a poem by Jerusha Buell (circa 1788-1829) titled “The Grave of the Year.” The six-stanza poem is written in an ABAB-CDCD rhyme scheme.
The two were related through the family of Eliza’s father, Dr. Nathaniel Gardiner (1759-1804). Jerusha Buell was the daughter of the Rev. Samuel Buell (1716-1798) and his third wife, Mary Miller Buell (circa 1765-1844). When Jerusha wrote this poem she was 31, as was Eliza.
Eliza’s red leather diary is decorated with her name embossed in gold. It is filled with quotes, excerpts, letters from friends, transcriptions of songs, pressed flowers, and several original poems like this one.
Subtitled “For the 31st of December,” it is a melancholy piece that uses the metaphor of the grave throughout to comment on the passage of time. The author personifies time in the first stanza, calling him “tired” and “weary” as he looks back on his accomplishments by walking through the year. The following stanzas personify hope and oblivion before considering that which has been lost during the previous 12 months.
Jerusha wasn’t the only contributor to Eliza’s diary, which is filled with more than a dozen noticeably different handwriting styles and signatures. Jerusha wrote several poems in it, dealing with the subjects of grief and loss, suggesting that she was perhaps doing just that over the course of 1819.
Though it may seem a morbid topic, the melancholy of the year’s end remains relatable for many today.
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Moriah Moore is a librarian and archivist in the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
