Thanatopsis

by William Cullen Bryant

One of the best American poems, "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant.

Genres: Poetry, American, Classics, Read For School, School, History

46 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1811

About the author

William Cullen Bryant was an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.

Reviews

[Mya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like it, as much as I thought I would have, but it was still written elegantly.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm only reviewing the titular poem, not the collection. And my review will be terse. The poem is great. If you want a simplfied version because poetry makes your brain hurt, sing The Lion King's "Circle of Life," and you have the central idea figured out.

[kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

death rlly is a marvel sometimes, isn’t it? isn’t it wonderful that we humans are not only capable, but destined to participate in the beautiful cycle of life

[Lubna Abushukair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanatopsis is a Greek word that means the sight of death ... its away of looking at death and thinking about it .

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanatopsis after 65

Still as true as when it was written.
It stands the test of time - it still makes me think - and strangely, it comforts me - to see death as a peaceful end to a well lived life, a thoughtful acceptance of a fate we all share

[aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a poem I had to read for English but, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The imagery was exquisite and helps us learn more about the romantic period in the early 1800s with imagination taking over reason. This poem explores the relationship between nature and the Earth and I would definitely recommend it.

[Tiffoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome- My favorite point of view!

[Katie Hirose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed my life...

[Publius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it was pretty decent and significantly better than the poetry of his contemporary, Walt Whitman.

[Monique the Book Geek]

I read this as a requirement for my graduate "Topics in American Literature" course.

[Karen]

*On Jackie Bateman's Top 5 List - her favorite poems

[Raeann Hardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical look at what the romantics were like and what they thought about!

[mairiachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a poem based on the subject of death. Despite the darkness and morbidity of the topic, the poem itself is an artistic look on one of the most common fears for humanity.

He uses short, choppy sentences which seem simple on the surface, while employing vivid, imaginative words to give a sharp contrast between life and death, looking at our very different reactions to both. His emotional imagery gives you a sense of someone who loves life.

In my opinion, the concepts are an indirect way to give us a sense of what he’s talking about; in order to give an appropriate amount of time to each of these perceptions, he breaks each sentence up into multiple lines: an effective way to give us an overall impression, a wide-angle view of the poem as a whole, while he jumps from one perception to the next. It’s similar to a list in this way, yet at the same time managing to tie each line together, continuing his thoughts in a more or less linear structure.

Cullen Bryant’s use of intellectual, elaborate words are used (imo) to paint a colorful picture of death, standing in conflict to, yet at the same time complimenting, life (more specifically Nature, which is a common symbol of life).

From the very beginning he uses Nature to signify good, using vibrant and positive words in order to associate that with the living. In stark contrast, he uses darker, melancholic terms to associate these with death, highlighting the ideas we have of these two being opposites.

At the very beginning of the poem, he starts by saying that this poem is for those who love Nature, spending their happier hours outside:

“She has a voice of gladness, and a smile / And eloquence of beauty, and she glides / Into his darker musings, with a mild and gentle sympathy…”

Depicting Nature (i.e. life itself and our enjoyment of it) as good, bright, gentle. Then he does a complete reversal while bringing in death on the very next line:

“...When thoughts / Of the last bitter hour come like a blight / Over thy spirit, and sad images / Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, / And breathless darkness, and the narrow house, / Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart – ”

There's a pause, as he’s about to make another switch. Every line has multiple darker, brooding words, to indicate that death is not something we look forward to; unlike Nature, we find no happiness in the hours we dwell on death. In fact, it’s during the happy hours that thoughts of death start to creep in and “come like a blight” over us.

Then he quickly turns back to the subject of Nature, and the common solution for combating these morbid thoughts, picking up immediately after the pause.

“Go forth under the open sky, and list[en] / To Nature’s teachings, while from all around – / Earth and her waters, and the depths of air, – / Comes a still voice – ”

And again death creeps into the musings of Cullen Bryant. Even while outside in Nature, surrounded and encompassed by life itself, there's an undercurrent of sadness or impending doom: the knowledge of death, and the inevitable fate awaiting the narrator and the reader.

“...while all around [...] / Comes a still voice – Yet a few days, and thee / The all-beholding sun shall see no more / In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground, / Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears.”

This is where jumping to and from the imagery, not dwelling long on anything, helps us see the broader picture. You realize as you read that this is not a comparison/contrast exercise, or a “one of these things is not like the other” kind of poem. Cullen Bryant is not giving two different pictures, but two sides of the same coin.

Life is walking hand in hand with death. The two cannot be separated in this poem, because the two cannot be separated in Nature – this is why, in every line, there is the constant looking back at death and the way it follows the narrator throughout the poem, so that every mention of life comes with the shadow of death.

Death is just another part of life, in that it’s the next step after Nature has run its course. Even in death we belong to, and will go back to, Nature:

“Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim / Thy growth, to be resolv’d to earth again; / And, lost each human trace, surrend’ring up / Thine individual being, shalt thou go / To mix forever with the elements, / To be a brother, to th’ insensible rock.”

Despite the seemingly gloomy subject of the poem, he seeks to comfort us in the fact that this is a natural form of process for all living beings and that it will be a peaceful transition from one natural form to the next.

In the last few lines of the poem, he closes with this peaceful conclusion:

“So live, that when thy summons comes [...] / [Thou goes] sustain’d and sooth’d / By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, / Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch / About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.”

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
A really interesting poem :)

[NAlbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

a Classic ::

memorized parts of it in high school, now treasure reading it through again, in the whole - a great work

[Austin P · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few poems that layered in a wooded geography, the commonality of loss, impermanence, and cycles of change were quite beautiful. When he started rhyming it lost me.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wise poetry! Should be taken as the anthem of life, no doubt.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:

"What death brings, none know.
But we'll all make that journey,
And share this mass grave."

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic and very
good poem, IMO.

[DannicaCastro]

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