Born in a mill-town village in western Massachusetts, he passed his boyhood on the farm. Unable to complete his college course, he practiced law until 1824, when he became editor of the New York Review. He continued all his life to be a man of letters.
The poems by Bryant are used by permission of D. Appleton and Company, authorized publishers of his works.
THANATOPSIS
34. patriarchs of the infant world: the leaders of the Hebrews before the days of history.
61. Barcan wilderness: waste of North Africa.
54. Why does Bryant suggest "the wings of the morning" to begin such a survey of the world? Would he choose the Oregon now?
28. ape: mimic.
This poem is very simple in its form and is typical of Bryant's nature poems. First, is his observation of the waterfowl's flight and his question about it. Secondly, the answer is given. Thirdly, the application is made to human nature. Do you find such a comparison of nature and human nature in any other poems by Bryant?
9. plashy: swampy.
15. illimitable: boundless.