American poems, 1776-1922

Introduction

The purpose of this volume is not to thrust upon the public another anthology which, after decorating the drawing-room table a few days at Christmas, shall go to rest under the dust on the top shelf. On the contrary, it is intended to serve in the hands of students as a useful collection of American verse, with notes of explanation and interpretation, which shall illustrate the growth and spirit of American life as expressed in its literature. Moreover, it should, by giving new perceptions of power and beauty, lift the spirit and increase the sum of human enjoyment. "Literature is the record of the best thoughts," says Emerson; and the best thoughts of the best Americans are most assuredly Vorthy of careful study.

The notes are intended, primarily, not to ask puzzling questions but to give information. It may be objected by some critics that much is explained that is already obvious; such criticism, however, is most likely to be made by those who have never taught school. The brief critical comments which have been added to the explanatory notes are meant to interpret the poems to the student and to win his attention and sympathy. In the biographical sketches, the aim has been to avoid all matters which are obscure or which may lead to fruitless discussion. The purpose of these sketches is to inform, and, if possible, to entertain and awaken interest. As a whole, the volume does not pretend to exhaustiveness, either in its selections or its notes, but is rather meant to serve as an introduction to the systematic study of American poetry.

4 INTRODUCTION

The field has been divided into four periods. The Early Period begins with Freneau, and includes the writers who preceded Bryant. These writers had many traits in common. They were imitators, for the most part, of English models; and their work was often marred by sentimentality. But they show growth in literary form, and their work gives evidence that the young nation was developing into national consciousness.

The Middle Period includes not only the greater names, — Bryant, Emerson, Longfellow, Whittier, Poe, Holmes, and Lowell, — but many lesser names that cluster about them. This period closes with Mr. Thompson's The High Tide at Gettysburg, which may be said to mark the culmination of the impulse given to letters by the Civil War. Deep feeling and imaginative power stamp this period as the greatest in our literary history. The two chief forces that made it great were the revival of letters in New England and the Civil War.

The Later Period includes writers who did most of their work after the Civil War and before 1900. At the end of this period came the War with Spain, which left its strongest impress, perhaps, on William Vaughn Moody. Moody's fearless intensity, however, is shared by few other writers of his day. The poetry of the period is marked rather by grace, urbanity, humor, lightness of touch, and dexterousness of form. A new school of poetry, however, has arisen since 1900. The makers of Recent Poetry, with a few shining exceptions, were born after the Civil War. Many of them were children at the time of the War with Spain. These newer poets began to attract attention even before the World War burst forth. Suddenly men and women began to sing. Nobody knew why. A new impulse, however, had come from somewhere. Still more strange, the public had begun to read poetry as it probably never did before in America. To-day the magazines and newspapers print more poetry than they ever have. Much of this new poetry has lifted itself out of the beaten paths. It frequently iiSITRODUCTiON 5

discards what is commonly known as ''poetic diction" and shows scant regard for ordinary metrical forms. It is marked by an intense love of nature and by democratic feeling. It cares less for the past than it does for the life that ebbs and flows around us, and it seeks ever for some new angle of truth or beauty.

Special acknowledgment for permission to use copyrighted selections is given as follows: to Maynard, Merrill & Co. for the selections by N. P. Willis; to J. B. Lippincott Company for the selections by T. B. Read and G. H. Boker; to the Robert Clarke Company for "Antony to Cleopatra," from their edition of the Poems of General William Haines Lytle; to Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Company for the selections by P. H. Hayne; to McClure, Phillips & Co., publishers, for the selection by Edwin Markham; to Harper^ s Weekly for the selection by G. W. Carryl.

The selections by Emerson, Longfellow, Whittier Holmes, Lowell, W. W. Story, Julia Ward Howe, T. W. Parsons, Bayard Taylor, J. T. Trowbridge, E. C. Stedman, T. B. Aldrich, John Hay, Bret Harte, E. R. Sill, Maurice Thompson, E. M. Thomas,

F. D. Sherman, L. L Guiney, W. V. Moody, Abbie Farwell Brown, and Amy Lowell are used by permission of, and by special arrangement with, Houghton, Mifflin & Co., the authorized publishers of their works.

For additional courtesies in matters of copyright, the editor is indebted to: D. Appleton & Co.; The Bobbs-Merrill Co.; The Century Co.; Henry T. Coates & Co.; Small, Maynard & Co.;

G. P. Putnam's Sons; F. M. Finch; G. J. Preston; Rosa N. Ticknor; Will H. Thompson; W.T.Meredith; Lloyd Mifflin; John Vance Cheney; Arthur Peterson; W. Gordon McCabe; James R. Randall; and E. F. Ware.

The editor is further indebted to the following for permission to use copyright material: The Atlantic Monthly for W. F. Stafford's "Invocation"; Benjamin R. C. Low and Dodd, Mead and Company for "The Little Boy and the Locomotive" from The House that Was; Harcourt, Brace and Company for

6 INTRODUCTION

''Mia Carlotta" from Carmina, by T. A. Daly; B. W. Huebsch, Inc. for "High Tide" from Growing Fains, by Jean Starr Untermeyer; The International Magazine Company for "The Crucible", by O. Henry; Lizette Woodworth Reese and Thomas B. Mosher for "Tears"; Mrs. George H. Oilman for "A Man Must Live," copyright 1898, Small Maynard and Company; C. B. Going and The New York Times for "Armistice"; and Katharine Lee Bates for "America the Beautiful."

Bliss Carman's "A More Ancient Mariner" is reprinted by and with permission of Small, Maynard and Company.

"I Have a Rendezvous with Death" from Poems, by Alan Seeger, copyright 1916, and van Dyke's "The Name of France" are used by special arrangement with the publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons.

"Mending Wall" from North of Boston, by Robert Frost, is reprinted by special arrangement with the publishers, Henry Holt and Company.

To the late Mr. E. C. Stedman the special acknowledgment of the editor is due, and is cordially given, for the free use made of the texts in An American Anthology, and for indispensable help from the biographical notes. Many other books have also been of service. For illuminating suggestion, mention should be made of Professor Wendell's! Literary History of America, Professor Woodberry's America in Literature, and Professor Trent's American Literature.

To Professor Henry van Dyke, Professor T.W.Hunt, Professor T. M. Parrott, and Professor H. F. Covington, of Princeton University, and to Mr. W. M. Reed, Col. R. T. Kerlin, and Mr. J. J. Momentjthe editor is indebted for assistance in numberless ways.

A. W. L.