the night, he sat down and wrote this beautiful poem of faith and hope, "To a Waterfowl." Many of his best poems were inspired by Nature or one of Nature's creatures. Bryant soon gave up the study of law to devote himself to his literary work. In addition to writing poetry, he was editor of the New York Evening Post, one of America's greatest newspapers. His long life was full of usefulness and happiness. Bryant had the gift of seeing that the commonest things about him were interesting and worth while. He died in 1878, one of the most loved of American poets. The Lyric. "To a Waterfowl" is a lyric poem, that is, a musical poem appropriate for song-"suited to be sung to the lyre." Nature is a favorite theme for lyric poets. In a lyric, the poet expresses his own observations and emotions-his love, his joy, his grief. A great lyric not only expresses the poet's feeling, but it has the power to make us feel. We learn through it to feel tenderness, or pity, or sorrow, or happiness. What feeling caused Bryant to write "To a Waterfowl"? Other wellknown lyrics by Bryant are "Robert of Lincoln," a poem in which he gives us a glimpse of his quiet humor; "March," "The Gladness of Nature," and "The Yellow Violet," poems in which he expresses joy at the return of spring; "The Death of the Flowers," a poem that commemorates the death of the poet's sister; and "To a Fringed Gentian," a poem of hope. Note lyrics by other authors in this book. Discussion. 1. After a good reader has read this entire poem in class, tell under what circumstances it was written. 2. How does the poet speak of the sunset? 3. What characteristics did Bryant show in stopping to enjoy the sunset and to watch the bird? 4. What was the appearance of the bird against the sky? 5. What words used in the fourth stanza emphasize the thought that there is no path or road for the bird to follow through the air? 6. Find the lines that tell what toil is referred to in the sixth stanza. When will the bird's toil end? What will follow toil? 7. How does the thought that the bird is guided help the poet? 8. What comparison does he make between his life and the flight of the bird? 9. What did you learn in "Literature and Life," page 18 about literature that interprets life? Can you show that this poem is such a piece of literature? 10. Find in the Glossary the meaning of: plashy; marge; desert. 11. Pronounce: illimitable; abyss. chafed ocean-side, 54, 12 thin atmosphere, 55, 6 Phrases for Study from zone to zone, 55, 17 Class Reading. Bring to, class and read other lyrics by Bryant. Newspaper Reading William Cullen Bryant, as editor of the New York Evening Post, influenced the thinking of a large circle of readers. Since that time the newspaper has constantly grown in power, until today it is one of the important factors in American life and education. The first newspaper in the United States, Public Occurrences, was started in 1690. The oldest existing newspaper in the country is the New Hampshire Gazette, founded in 1756. Since the days of Benjamin Franklin, and later of William Cullen Bryant, there have been many influential journalists in America, notably: Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune; Charles A. Dana, editor of the New York Sun; and Henry Watterson, editor of the Louisville CourierJournal. Who is the editor of the newspaper with which you are most familiar? Bring to class copies of some local newspaper and show that there is a regular place for general news, editorials, society news, sports, market reports, jokes, cartoons, and advertisements; of what advantage to the busy reader is a definite place in the paper for each of these? Headlines in large type call attention to the story, and leads in smaller type directly under the headlines give a brief summary of the story. How do these, also, help to save the reader's time? When was the first newspaper started in your community? Have you seen copies of newspapers printed one hundred years ago or printed during the Civil War? If you can, bring to class copies of old-time newspapers and compare them with those of today. Keep a class scrapbook for current events and for interesting newspaper mention of literary men and women and their works. Note especially accounts of local visits by authors. A committee of pupils may be chosen to be responsible for pasting the clippings as they are handed in from time to time by members of the class. Do you have a regular time in your school for reporting on current events? Bring to class clippings from current newspapers that re late to stories, authors, or characters found in your text-Rip Var Winkle, Evangeline, Kipling, Roosevelt, etc. Read again the discussion of "What Is Literature?" pages 16 to 19. Is a newspaper article a true example of literature? What is the chief value of newspapers? 5 10 THE SKYLARK JAMES HOGG Bird of the wilderness, Blithesome and cumberless, Sweet be thy matin o'er moorland and lea! Blest is thy dwelling place O to abide in the desert with thee! Wild is thy lay and loud, Far in the downy cloud; Love gives it energy, love gave it birth. Where on thy dewy wing, Where art thou journeying? Thy lay is in heaven, thy love is on earth, O'er moor and mountain green, 15 O'er the red streamer that heralds the day, 20 Over the rainbow's rim, Then, when the gloaming comes, Sweet will thy welcome and bed of love be! NOTES AND QUESTIONS Biography. James Hogg (1770-1835) was born in Ettrick, Scotland. He is called "The Ettrick Shepherd" because he came from a family of shepherds and worked in his youth as a cowherd and sheep-tender. He spent many of his evening hours listening to old ballads and legends which his mother recited to him. By the time he was twenty, Hogg was known as a song-writer. Ten years later he assisted Walter Scott in the collection of old ballads for the Border Minstrelsy and shortly afterwards pub lished a small volume of his own poetry. The publication of The Queen's Wake in 1831, a collection of tales and ballads supposed to have been sung to Mary, Queen of Scots, by native bards of Scotland, established his reputation as an author. Discussion. 1. To whom is the poem addressed? 2. What different names does the poet give to the bird? 3. What claim has the skylark to the first of these names? 4. What word refers to the lark's morning song? 5. What line in the second stanza tells you that it is early morning? 6. Find a line that tells how high the lark flies while singing. 7. Where does the lark make its nest? 8. What word used by the poet in describing the lark's nest tells his country? 9. Where do you think the shepherd poet was when he heard the lark? Could other shepherds have received happiness or strength from the song of the lark, even though they could not express their thoughts in poetry? 10. What must you have in yourself in order to enjoy the song of a bird as the poet enjoyed it? 11. Read again the discussion of Lyrics on page 56, and tell why you think this is a lyric poem. 12. Find in the Glossary the meaning of: lay; fell; heather. TO A SKYLARK WILLIAM WORDSWORTH Ethereal minstrel! Pilgrim of the sky! Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound? Leave to the nightingale her shady wood; True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home! NOTES AND QUESTIONS Biography. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) was born in the Cumberland Highlands of northern England. The beauty of this country had a great influence on him and his poetry. In 1799 he retired to the beautiful Lake Country, not far from his boyhood home, and there lived a simple life, depending almost entirely on Nature for companionship and inspiration. Wordsworth was devoted to the cause of liberty, and he believed firmly in the beauty and charm of the humble life. The simplicity and sincerity of his nature are revealed in his poems on birds and flowers. Although most of Wordsworth's poems are about everyday, prosaic events and subjects, they often contain profound truths and an intense emotional strain. Discussion. 1. How did Wordsworth feel toward the skylark, according to line 1? 2. In what two ways was he thinking of the bird? 3. What claim has the skylark to the title “ethereal minstrel"? To the title “pilgrim of the sky"? 4. What questions does the poet ask the skylark? How did James Hogg answer these questions in the first stanza of his poem? 5. Find a line of Wordsworth's poem that tells where the nest is made. What words used by James Hogg show that he thought of the "dewy ground"? 6. The darkness of night hides the nightingale; what does Wordsworth say hides the skylark? 7. What habit makes the lark "true to Heaven"? What habit makes him "true to Home"? Which habit is a type of our longing to do good and great things? Which habit is a type of the faithful performance of common duties? 8. What feeling led Wordsworth to write this lyric? 9. You will enjoy hearing these lines read in class by a good reader. 10. Read again what is said in "Literature and Life" on page 18 about literature that interprets life; can you show that this poem is such a piece of literature? 11. Wordsworth's life was enriched by an appreciation of Nature. What did you learn on page 25 of the Introduction about the wonders of Nature? 12. What are some of the wonders that "add beauty and interest to our lives"? 13. Find in the Glossary the meaning of: aspire; composed; instinct. Phrases for Study privacy of glorious light is thine, 59, 8 soar but never roam, 59, 11 |