A Forest Hymn Explained
"A Forest Hymn" is an 1824 poem written by William Cullen Bryant,[1] which has been called one of Bryant's best poems,[2] and "one of the best nature poems of that age".[3] It was first published in Boston in the United States Literary Gazette along with several other poems written by Bryant.[4]
Analysis and reception
Said to have been only conceivable by someone familiar with the "thick foliage and tall trunks of [the] primeval forests" in Massachusetts,[5] "A Forest Hymn" is said to have been Bryant's way of saying farewell to country life before moving to New York City in 1825,[6] which came about during a period where he wrote a large number of works.[7] It is reflective of Bryant's love of nature and religious belief,[8] has been called a "picturesque poem", and Richard Henry Stoddard has said: At the pace of the wind "playing upon the leaves and the branches of the ancient woods,[9] Eleanor O'Grady has suggested that the poem be read in a smooth and gliding manner, as done in Median Stress.[10]
The poem has been published many times, including an 1860 edition with illustrations by John A. Hows.[11]
John Muir's first article advocating forest protection, a February 5, 1876, editorial in the Sacramento Daily Record-Union, alludes to Bryant's first line in its title: "God's First Temples: How Shall We Preserve Our Forests".[12]
Sources
- Book: Blount, Alma. Intensive studies in American literature. Macmillan. 1914. 2082749.
- Book: Bryant, William Cullen. . W. A. Townsend & co.. 1860. .
- Book: Jones, Lewis Henry. Jones readers by grades. 8. 1904. Ginn & Company. 4105987.
- Book: Lamberton, John Porter. The Masterpieces and the history of literature: analysis, criticism, character and incident. 1908. Hamilton Book Co. 12648626.
- Book: The Methodist Review. The Methodist book concern. 1859. 11, 19, 41. 1757206.
- Book: O'Grady, Eleanor. Aids to correct and effective elocution: with selected readings and recitations for practice. 1890. Benziger Brothers. 37011706.
- Book: Royse, Noble Kibby. A manual of American literature: designed for the use of schools of advanced grades. 1871. Cowperthwait and Company. 5691582.
- Book: Silverman, Kenneth. Literature in America: A century of expansion. 2. Free Press. 1971. 127649.
- Book: Stoddard, Richard Henry. . . 1900.
- Book: Symington, Andrew James. William Cullen Bryant: a biographical sketch: with selections from his poems and other writings. 1880. Harper & Brothers. 10645450.
External links
Notes and References
- Symington, p. 83.
- Lamberton, et al., p. 102.
- Silverman, et al., p. 120.
- Royse, p. 61.
- The Methodist, p. 49.
- Blount, p. 113.
- Stoddard.
- Jones, p. 271.
- The Methodist, p. 50.
- O'Grady, p. 30.
- Bryant, p. 1.
- Eric Rutkow, American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation, Scribner 2012, p149
