Hail, Lincoln! As the swift years lengthen Still more majestic grows thy fame.

In these lines Dole offers a hymn-like salute to Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing how historical distance can enlarge a statesman’s reputation. The “swift years” suggest the rapid passage of time after Lincoln’s death, while the claim that his fame grows “more majestic” frames Lincoln as a moral and national symbol whose stature increases as immediate political controversies fade. The tone is celebratory and reverential (“Hail”), aligning with late-19th- and early-20th-century commemorative culture in which Lincoln was increasingly cast as a unifying figure and embodiment of democratic ideals. The couplet thus participates in the making of Lincoln’s posthumous legend.