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William Cullen Bryant. November 3 rd , 1794 to June 12 th , 1878. Biography. American poet and journalist. Born in Cummington, Massachusetts. Interested in poetry since childhood. His first published work was a book of verse.
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William Cullen Bryant November 3rd, 1794 to June 12th, 1878
Biography • American poet and journalist. • Born in Cummington, Massachusetts. • Interested in poetry since childhood. • His first published work was a book of verse. • His first critically acclaimed work as a poem was “Thanatopsis.” • At the age of 16, he entered an advanced class of William’s College. • He then married Frances Fairchild in his 20’s and moved to New York City and worked for the New York Review and Evening Post. • He was one of the first American poets to throw off his influence. • He remained as an Evening Post editor until death. • His later years consisted of focusing closely on translating and analyzing Ancient Greek and Latin works. (ex: The Odyssey of Homer) • Bryant died in 1878 of complications from an accidental fall.
To him who in the love of nature holdsCommunion with her visible forms, she speaksA various language; for his gayer hoursShe has a voice of gladness, and a smileAnd eloquence of beauty; and she glidesInto his darker musings, with a mildAnd healing sympathy that steals awayTheir sharpness ere he is aware. When thoughtsOf the last bitter hour come like a blightOver thy spirit, and sad imagesOf the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart;--Go forth, under the open sky, and listTo Nature's teachings, while from all around--Earth and her waters, and the depths of air--Comes a still voice. Yet a few days, and theeThe all-beholding sun shall see no moreIn all his course; nor yet in the cold ground,Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears,Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall existThy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claimThy growth, to be resolved to earth again,And, lost each human trace, surrendering upThine individual being, shalt thou go To mix forever with the elements,To be a brother to the insensible rockAnd to the sluggish clod, which the rude swainTurns with his share, and treads upon. The oakShall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mold. William Bryant’s famous poem Thanatopsis.
Thou blossom bright with autumn dew, And coloured with the heaven's own blue, That openest when the quiet light Succeeds the keen and frosty night. Thou comest not when violets lean O'er wandering brooks and springs unseen, Or columbines, in purple dressed, Nod o'er the ground-bird's hidden nest. Thou waitest late and com'st alone, When woods are bare and birds are flown, And frosts and shortening days portend The aged year is near his end. Then doth thy sweet and quiet eye Look through its fringes to the sky, Blue—blue—as if that sky let fall A flower from its cerulean wall. I would that thus, when I shall see The hour of death draw near to me, Hope, blossoming within my heart, May look to heaven as I depart. To The Fringed Gentian
Interesting facts • He worked as a lawyer in Northampton, Plainfield until 1825. • He was strongly against slavery. • His longtime summer home as a child is now a museum. • They had a good marriage and had 2 children together. 2 girls- Frances and Julia Bryant.
Works Cited • http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/lpop/etext/richman/bryant.html • http://www.bartleby.com/248/88.html • http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1242/ • http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&q=william+cullen+bryant&btnG=Search
