“ Flowers of the garden and the waste have blown, And withered; seeds have fallen upon the soil From bursting cells, and in their graves await Their resurrection. Insects from the pools Have filled the air awhile with humming wings, That now are still forever; painted moths Have wandered the blue sky, and died again ”

“ He does not thrust the American flag in our faces, and threaten the world with the terrors of a gory peace; he exults in the issues of freedom for nobler ends and larger interests. He is. the only one of the American poets who ascends to “the height of this great argument,” and lifts his theme above the earthly taint of bigotry and prejudice. In him, by virtue of the poetry that is in his heart, such themes grow up into dignity. His genius makes all men participators in them, seeking and developing the universality that lies at their core. ”

“ The mother from the eyes Of her sick infant shades the painful light, And sadly listens to his quick-drawn breath. When America shall have given birth to a few such poets as Bryant, she may begin to build up a national literature, to the recognition of which all the world will subscribe. ”

“ Faithful to his inspiration, he never interrupts the profound ideal that has entered into his spirit to propitiate the genius loci:—he is no middleman standing between his vernal glories and the enjoyment of the rest of mankind. ”

“ He is wholly exempt from verbal prettiness, from flaunting imagery and New World conceits; he never paints on gauze; he is always in earnest, and always poetical. His manner is everywhere graceful and unaffected. ”