Early American Poetry: Selections from Bradstreet, Taylor, Dwight, Freneau, and Bryant

From The Tenth Muse

14 Anne Bradstreet From The Tenth Muse THE PROLOGUE 1 To sing of wars, of captains, and of kings, Of cities founded, commonwealths begun, For my mean pen are too superior things: Or how they all, or each their dates have run Let poets and historians set these forth, My obscure lines shall not so dim their worth. 2 But when my wond'ring eyes and envious heart Great Bartas' 1 sugared lines do but read o'er, Fool I do grudge the Muses did not part 'Twixt him and me that overfiuent store; A Bartas can do what a Bartas will But simple I according to my skill. 3 From schoolboy's tongue no rhet'ric we expect, Nor yet a swee~ consort from broken strings, Nor perfect beauty where's a main defect: My foolish, broken, blemished Muse so sings, And this to mend, alas, no art is able, 'Cause nature made it so irreparable. 4 Nor can I, like that fluent sweet tongued Greek,2 Who lisped at first, in future times speak plain. 5 10 15 20 1. Guillaume de Salluste Sieur Du Bartas, author of La Sepmaine (1578) and La Seconde Sepmaine (1584), translated by Joshua Sylvester as Divine Weekes and Workes (1621). Du Bartas, much admired in England during Bradstreet's youth, popularized a style of poetry known for its encyclopedic display of information and its Calvinistic didacticism. Bradstreet was strongly influenced by his work and was saluted by Nathaniel Ward, another New England author, as "a right Du Bartas girl." 2. Demosthenes. The Tenth Afuse 15 By art he gladly found what he did seek, A full requital of his striving pain. Art can do much, but this maxim's most sure: A weak or wounded brain admits no cure. 5 I am obnoxious to each carping tongue Who says my hand a needle better fits, A poet's pen all scorn I should thus wrong, For such despite they cast on female wits: If what I do prove well, it won't advance, They'll say it's stol'n, or else it was by chance. 6 But sure the antique Greeks were far more mild Else of our sex, why feigned they those nine And poesy made Calliope's3 own child; So 'mongst the rest they placed the arts divine: But this weak knot they will full soon untie, The Greeks did nought, but play the fools and lie. 7 Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are Men have precedency and still excel, It is but vain unjustly to wage war; Men can do best, and women know it well. Preeminence in all and each is yours; Yet grant some small acknowledgement of ours. 8 And oh ye high flown quills that soar the skies, And ever with your prey still catch your praise, If e'er you deign these lowly lines your eyes, Give thyme or parsley wreath, I ask no bays; This mean and unrefined ore of mine Will make your glist'ring gold but more to shine. (1642?; 1650) 3. The Muse of epic poetry. 25 30 35 40 45 16 Anne Bradstreet OF THE FOUR AGES OF MAN Lo now four other act upon the stage,1 Childhood and Youth, the Manly and Old Age; The first son unto phlegm, grand-child to water, Unstable, supple, cold, and moist's his nature. The second, frolic, claims his pedigree From blood and air, for hot and moist is he. The third of fire and choler is composed Vindicative and quarrelsome disposed. The last of earth, and heavy melancholy, Solid, hating all lightness and all folly. Childhood was clothed in white and green to show2 His spring was intermixed with some snow: Upon his head nature a garland set Of primrose, daisy and the violet. Such cold mean flowers the spring puts forth betime Before the sun hath thoroughly heat the clime. His hobby striding, did not ride but run, And in his hand an hour-glass new begun, In danger every moment of a fall, And when 'tis broke then ends his life and all: But if he hold till it have run its last, Then may he live out threescore years or past. Next Youth came up in gorgeous attire, (As that fond age doth most of all desire). His suit of crimson and his scarf of green, His pride in's countenance...