'Hymn To Death' by William Cullen Bryant
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Oh! could I hope the wise and pure in heart
Might hear my song without a frown, nor deem
My voice unworthy of the theme it tries,--
I would take up the hymn to Death, and say
To the grim power, The world hath slandered thee
And mocked thee. On thy dim and shadowy brow
They place an iron crown, and call thee king
Of terrors, and the spoiler of the world,
Deadly assassin, that strik'st down the fair,
The loved, the good--that breath'st upon the lights
Of virtue set along the vale of life,
And they go out in darkness. I am come,
Not with reproaches, not with cries and prayers,
Such as have stormed thy stern insensible ear
From the beginning. I am come to speak
Thy praises. True it is, that I have wept
Thy conquests, and may weep them yet again:
And thou from some I love wilt take a life
Dear to me as my own. Yet while the spell
Is on my spirit, and I talk with thee
In sight of all thy trophies, face to face,
Meet is it that my voice should utter forth
Thy nobler triumphs: I will teach the world
To thank thee.--Who are thine accusers?--Who?
The living!--they who never felt thy power,
And know thee not. The curses of the wretch
Whose crimes are ripe, his sufferings when thy hand
Is on him, and the hour he dreads is come,
Are writ among thy praises. But the good--
Does he whom thy kind hand dismissed to peace,
Upbraid the gentle violence that took off
His fetters, and unbarred his prison cell?
Raise then the Hymn to Death. Deliverer!
God hath anointed thee to free the oppressed
And crush the oppressor. When the armed chief,
The conqueror of nations, walks the world,
And it is changed beneath his feet, and all
Its kingdoms melt into one mighty realm--
Thou, while his head is loftiest, and his heart
Blasphemes, imagining his own right hand
Almighty, sett'st upon him thy stern grasp,
And the strong links of that tremendous chain
That bound mankind are crumbled; thou dost break
Sceptre and crown, and beat his throne to dust.
Then the earth shouts with gladness, and her tribes
Gather within their ancient bounds again.
Else had the mighty of the olden time,
Nimrod, Sesostris, or the youth who feigned
His birth from Lybian Ammon, smote even now
The nations with a rod of iron, and driven
Their chariot o'er our necks. Thou dost avenge,
In thy good time, the wrongs of those who know
No other friend. Nor dost thou interpose
Only to lay the sufferer asleep,
Where he who made him wretched troubles not
His rest--thou dost strike down his tyrant too.
Oh, there is joy when hands that held the scourge
Drop lifeless, and the pitiless heart is cold.
Thou too dost purge from earth its horrible
And old idolatries; from the proud fanes
Each to his grave their priests go out, till none
Is left to teach their worship; then the fires
Of sacrifice are chilled, and the green moss
O'ercreeps their altars; the fallen images
Cumber the weedy courts, and for loud hymns,
Chanted by kneeling crowds, the chiding winds
Shriek in the solitary aisles. When he
Who gives his life to guilt, and laughs at all
The laws that God or man has made, and round
Hedges his seat with power, and shines in wealth,--
Lifts up his atheist front to scoff at Heaven,
And celebrates his shame in open day,
Thou, in the pride of all his crimes, cutt'st off
The horrible example. Touched by thine,
The extortioner's hard hand foregoes the gold
Wrong from the o'er-worn poor. The perjurer,
Whose tongue was lithe, e'en now, and voluble
Against his neighbour's life, and he who laughed
And leaped for joy to see a spotless fame
Blasted before his own foul calumnies,
Are smit with deadly silence. He, who sold
His conscience to preserve a worthless life,
Even while he hugs himself on his escape,
Trembles, as, doubly terrible, at length,
Thy steps o'ertake him, and there is no time
For parley--nor will bribes unclench thy grasp.
Oft, too, dost thou reform thy victim, long
Ere his last hour. And when the reveller,
Mad in the chase of pleasure, stretches on,
And strains each nerve, and clears the path of life
Like wind, thou point'st him to the dreadful goal,
And shak'st thy hour-glass in his reeling eye,
And check'st him in mid course. Thy skeleton hand
Shows to the faint of spirit the right path,
And he is warned, and fears to step aside.
Thou sett'st between the ruffian and his crime
Thy ghastly countenance, and his slack hand
Drops the drawn knife. But, oh, most fearfully
Dost thou show forth Heaven's justice, when thy shafts
Drink up the ebbing spirit--then the hard
Of heart and violent of hand restores
The treasure to the friendless wretch he wronged.
Then from the writhing bosom thou dost pluck
The guilty secret; lips, for ages sealed,
Are faithless to the dreadful trust at length,
And give it up; the felon's latest breath
Absolves the innocent man who bears his crime;
The slanderer, horror smitten, and in tears,
Recalls the deadly obloquy he forged
To work his brother's ruin. Thou dost make
Thy penitent victim utter to the air
The dark conspiracy that strikes at life,
And aims to whelm the laws; ere yet the hour
Is come, and the dread sign of murder given.
Thus, from the first of time, hast thou been found
On virtue's side; the wicked, but for thee,
Had been too strong for the good; the great of earth
Had crushed the weak for ever. Schooled in guile
For ages, while each passing year had brought
Its baneful lesson, they had filled the world
With their abominations; while its tribes,
Trodden to earth, imbruted, and despoiled,
Had knelt to them in worship; sacrifice
Had smoked on many an altar, temple roofs
Had echoed with the blasphemous prayer and hymn:
But thou, the great reformer of the world,
Tak'st off the sons of violence and fraud
In their green pupilage, their lore half learned--
Ere guilt has quite o'errun the simple heart
God gave them at their birth, and blotted out
His image. Thou dost mark them, flushed with hope,
As on the threshold of their vast designs
Doubtful and loose they stand, and strik'st them down.
Alas, I little thought that the stern power
Whose fearful praise I sung, would try me thus
Before the strain was ended. It must cease--
For he is in his grave who taught my youth
The art of verse, and in the bud of life
Offered me to the muses. Oh, cut off
Untimely! when thy reason in its strength,
Ripened by years of toil and studious search
And watch of Nature's silent lessons, taught
Thy hand to practise best the lenient art
To which thou gavest thy laborious days.
And, last, thy life. And, therefore, when the earth
Received thee, tears were in unyielding eyes
And on hard cheeks, and they who deemed thy skill
Delayed their death-hour, shuddered and turned pale
When thou wert gone. This faltering verse, which thou
Shalt not, as wont, o'erlook, is all I have
To offer at thy grave--this--and the hope
To copy thy example, and to leave
A name of which the wretched shall not think
As of an enemy's, whom they forgive
As all forgive the dead. Rest, therefore, thou
Whose early guidance trained my infant steps--
Rest, in the bosom of God, till the brief sleep
Of death is over, and a happier life
Shall dawn to waken thine insensible dust.
Now thou art not--and yet the men whose guilt
Has wearied Heaven for vengeance--he who bears
False witness--he who takes the orphan's bread,
And robs the widow--he who spreads abroad
Polluted hands in mockery of prayer,
Are left to cumber earth. Shuddering I look
On what is written, yet I blot not out
The desultory numbers--let them stand.
The record of an idle revery.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Hymn to Death: A Poetic Ode to Humanity's Fate
William Cullen Bryant, the American poet and journalist, is known for his poignant and contemplative poetry that often explores the themes of nature, mortality, and spirituality. Among his notable works is "Hymn to Death," a stirring ode to the inevitable fate that awaits us all. In this 4000-word literary criticism, we will delve deep into the poem's themes, imagery, and language, and explore how Bryant's poetic vision of death speaks to our own mortality and the human condition.
Overview and Analysis
" Hymn to Death" is a sonnet, a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter that follows the structure of an Italian sonnet. It is divided into two quatrains (four-line stanzas) and two tercets (three-line stanzas), each with a distinct rhyming pattern. The poem's tone is solemn and reverent, as befits a hymn, yet it is not without a sense of wonder and awe at the mystery of death.
The poem begins with an apostrophe, an address to Death personified as a divine or supernatural entity. The opening line reads, "Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain, / With banners, by great gales incessant fanned." Here, death is likened to the season of autumn, with its sweeping winds and rain that herald the end of the year and the coming of winter. The use of the word "banners," with its connotations of military conquest, suggests that death is an unstoppable force that marches on relentlessly.
The next quatrain continues the metaphor of death as a natural process, a "reaper" who gathers in the harvest of human lives. "Blue-eyed and fair, as in the ancient time, / Thou standest, holding in thine outstretched hand / The sheaves of our life's harvest, gleaming-white / And like a reaper, binds them at thy feet." The image of Death as a "blue-eyed" figure is intriguing, as it suggests both a cold and unfeeling gaze and a sense of transcendence or otherworldliness. The reference to an "ancient time" evokes a mythic or archetypal past, implying that death has always been a constant in human experience.
The third stanza marks a shift in tone, as the speaker shifts from addressing Death directly to pondering the nature of life and the human spirit. "Hearest thou voices on the night-wind borne, / That tell thee the sea-monster, fierce and fell, / How he hath sought and found thee?" Here, the speaker imagines Death as a listener, attuned to the sounds of the natural world and the voices of those who have passed on. The reference to the sea-monster may be a nod to the myth of the Leviathan, a fearsome creature that symbolizes chaos and destruction.
The final tercet brings the poem to a close with a prayer, of sorts, for the speaker's own soul as it faces the inevitability of death. "Or dost thou rather listen to the spell, / That night-dew murmurs when the stars are gone, / More sweet than that which breathes from lips that swell / With prayer, or fierce with agony and groan?" The contrast between the "spell" of nature and the prayers and cries of human beings is striking, as it suggests that there is something inherently calming and soothing about the natural world that transcends our own fears and struggles. The poem ends on a note of acceptance and resignation, as the speaker acknowledges that death is an inescapable part of the human experience.
Themes and Motifs
One of the key themes of "Hymn to Death" is mortality, and the inevitability of death that awaits us all. Bryant employs a variety of metaphors and images to convey the idea that death is a natural process, as natural as the changing of the seasons or the harvest of crops. He also suggests that death is not to be feared, but rather accepted as a part of the larger cycle of life and death.
Another important theme is the transience of human life, and the fleeting nature of our time on earth. Bryant emphasizes the idea that we are all like "sheaves" of grain, gathered in by the Reaper when the time comes. This image conveys a sense of mundanity and ordinariness to human life, as well as a sense of collective purpose and shared destiny.
The motif of nature is also prevalent throughout the poem, from the opening lines that describe the arrival of autumn to the night-wind and stars that close out the final tercet. Bryant uses nature as a way of connecting the human experience to the larger rhythms and cycles of the natural world, suggesting that we are all part of a greater whole.
Language and Imagery
Bryant's language is at times elevated and poetic, using archaic words and phrases to convey a sense of timelessness and grandeur. The use of personification, particularly of Death as a supernatural entity, adds to the poem's sense of awe and reverence.
The imagery in "Hymn to Death" is rich and evocative, drawing heavily on the natural world and the changing of the seasons. The use of metaphor is particularly effective, as Bryant compares death to a reaper, a harvester, and a force of nature. The repeated use of the color white, with its associations of purity and transcendence, also adds to the poem's ethereal quality.
Interpretation and Significance
"Hymn to Death" is a powerful meditation on the human condition and the inevitability of death. Bryant's use of metaphor and imagery draws heavily on the natural world and the changing of the seasons, suggesting that death is as much a part of the larger cycle of life as birth and growth. The poem also conveys a sense of acceptance and resignation, as the speaker acknowledges that death is an unavoidable fact of human existence.
Moreover, the poem speaks to the power of nature and the transcendent quality of the natural world. This sense of connection and belonging to something greater than ourselves is a recurring theme in Bryant's poetry, and it is particularly evident in "Hymn to Death." By using nature as a way of connecting the human experience to the larger rhythms and cycles of the natural world, Bryant suggests that we are all part of a greater whole.
In conclusion, "Hymn to Death" is a moving and contemplative poem that speaks to the human experience of mortality and the transience of life. Bryant's language and imagery are both elevated and evocative, drawing on the natural world to convey a sense of awe and reverence. The poem's themes of mortality, transience, and the power of nature are all central to Bryant's poetic vision, and they continue to resonate with readers today.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Hymn To Death: A Poetic Ode to the Inevitable
William Cullen Bryant's "Hymn to Death" is a classic poem that explores the theme of death and its inevitability. The poem is a beautiful and moving ode to the end of life, and it is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the essence of the human experience.
The poem begins with a description of death as a "mysterious realm" that is "veiled in darkness." The speaker describes death as a "silent land" that is "shrouded in gloom," and he suggests that it is a place where the "soul may wander." This opening stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, which is a meditation on the nature of death and its impact on the human experience.
The second stanza of the poem is a beautiful description of the natural world, and it serves as a contrast to the darkness and gloom of the first stanza. The speaker describes the "green earth" and the "blue sky," and he suggests that these natural wonders are a testament to the beauty and wonder of life. The speaker then suggests that death is a part of this natural cycle, and that it is a necessary part of the cycle of life.
The third stanza of the poem is a meditation on the nature of time, and it suggests that death is a part of the natural order of things. The speaker suggests that time is a "mighty river" that flows inexorably towards the sea, and that death is a part of this flow. The speaker suggests that death is a necessary part of the cycle of life, and that it is a natural and inevitable part of the human experience.
The fourth stanza of the poem is a beautiful description of the human experience, and it suggests that death is a part of this experience. The speaker describes the "joys and sorrows" of life, and he suggests that these experiences are what make life worth living. The speaker then suggests that death is a part of this experience, and that it is a necessary part of the cycle of life.
The fifth stanza of the poem is a meditation on the nature of the human soul, and it suggests that death is a part of the journey of the soul. The speaker suggests that the soul is a "pilgrim" that is journeying towards a "distant shore," and that death is a part of this journey. The speaker suggests that death is a necessary part of the journey of the soul, and that it is a natural and inevitable part of the human experience.
The final stanza of the poem is a beautiful and moving meditation on the nature of death, and it suggests that death is a part of the natural order of things. The speaker suggests that death is a "messenger of love," and that it is a part of the cycle of life. The speaker then suggests that death is not something to be feared, but rather something to be embraced as a natural and inevitable part of the human experience.
Overall, "Hymn to Death" is a beautiful and moving poem that explores the theme of death and its inevitability. The poem is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the essence of the human experience, and it is a reminder that death is a part of the natural order of things. The poem is a beautiful and moving meditation on the nature of life and death, and it is a testament to the power of the human spirit to find meaning and purpose in the face of the inevitable.
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