Book Description

Excerpt from Thanatopsis, Sella, and Other Poems Birth and Parents. - William Cullen Bryant was born at Cummington, western Massachusetts, on November 3, 1794. His ancestors were Puritans, both of his parents being descendants of Mayflower passengers, his father of Stephen Bryant and his mother of John Alden, of whom Longfellow was also a descendant. His father, Dr. Peter Bryant, was a village physician, highly respected by all who knew him for his integrity and intellectual keenness. He was a well-read man, versed in ancient and modern languages, and passionately fond of music and poetry. He also took an active interest in politics, representing Cummington in the state legislature for several years. His mother was a woman of practical sense and great force of character. She was a recognized leader in the community, always ready to help the unfortunate or to assist in the advancement of neighborhood interests. To them Bryant owed no small part of his success. Not only was he inspired by them with the deep love for justice and good reflected in both his writings and his life, but he was also encouraged in his literary efforts from childhood. No one else has brought out this fact so well as the poet himself. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.