BRYANT, William Cullen, American poet and journalist: b. Cummington, Mass., 3 Nov. 1794; d. New York, 12 June 1878. His father, Dr. Peter Bryant, a physician, was a man of much literary culture, as well as large experi ence in public affairs. He prepared, when he was but 14, a collection of poems, which were published in Boston in 1809. In that volume appeared 'The Embargo,' the only poem deal ing with the politics of the day he ever wrote. In the following year Bryant entered Williams College as a student of law, but left without taking a degree in 1815, when he was admitted to the bar. In that year be became a contributor to the North American Review, in which appeared the following year his 'Thanatopsis,) a poem in blank verse, which from the first has commanded profound admiration. Six years later he published a second collection of poems, which brought him into a wide fame. The prin cipal Piece, 'The Ages,' is a didactic poem, in which he sketches the past progress of the world, concluding with a glowing picture of America, and its occupation by the new race. He definitely abandoned law for literature in 1825, and went to New York, where he founded the New York Review, and a year after became the editor of the Evening Post, an old estab lished paper, with which he was connected till his death. In 1832 he issued another collection of poems, which was republished in Great Brit ain with a preface by Washington Irving. In the summer of 1834, accompanied by his family, he went to Europe, and traveled through Eng land, France, Germany and Italy, remaining in the latter country for a considerable time. In 1845 he again visited Europe, and still again in 1849, when he extended his journey to Egypt and the Holy Land. The incidents of these and subsequent travels, both in Europe and America, were described in letters written to the Evening Post, which were reprinted in separate volumes, entitled 'Letters of a Traveler' (1850) ; 'Let ters from Spain and Other Countries> (1859) ; 'Letters from the East' (1869) ; 'Orations and Addresses' (1873). A complete edition of bis
poems up to 1855 was published in that year, and in 1863 appeared a small volume entitled 'Thirty Poems.' His last works of importance are his transations of the (1870) and the (1872), translations which many American critics rank above any that had hith erto appeared in the English language. Early in 1878 appeared 'The Flood of Years,' his last poem of any great length, in which the in strains that remind the reader of 'Thanatopsis,' reviews the life of man as the ridge of a wave ever hurrying on to oblivion the forms that appear on its surface but for a moment, con eluding, however, with the expression of a con fident hope in the future of mankind, even though the present is most dark and drear. His death was occasioned by a sunstroke, while making an address at the unveiling of a statue in Central Park. At the time of his death he was engaged in conjunction with Sydney How ard Gay, on a popular history of the United States, the first volume of which appeared in 1876. (See THANATOPSIS). Consult Bradley, W.• A., 'W. C. Bryant' (New York 1905); Godwin, Parke, 'The Life and Works of Wil liam Cullen Bryant' (New York 1883-84); Bigelow, John, 'Life of William Cullen Bryant' (Boston 1890); Stedman, E. C., 'Poets of America' (Boston 1885) ; Stoddard, 'Poetical Works of Bryant,' with biographical introduc tion (New York 1907) ; Wendell, Barrett, 'A Literary History of (New York 1900).