LESSON 27
THE SNOW SHOWER
William Cullen Bryant, 1794-1878, was the son of Peter Bryant, a physician of Cummington, Massachusetts. Amid the beautiful scenery of this remote country town, the poet was born; and here he passed his early youth. At the age of sixteen, Bryant entered Williams College, but was honorably dismissed at the end of two years. He then entered on the study of law, and was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-one. He practiced his profession, with much success, for about nine years. In 1826, he removed to New York, and became connected with the “Evening Post, ” a connection which continued to the time of his death. For more than thirty of the last years of his life, Mr. Bryant made his home near Roslyn, Long Island, where he occupied an “old-time mansion, ” which he bought, fitted up, and surrounded in accordance with his excellent rural taste. A poem of his, written at the age of ten years, was published in the “County Gazette, ” and two poems of considerable length were published in book form, when the author was only fourteen. “Thanatopsis, ” perhaps the best known of all his poems, was written when he was but nineteen. But, notwithstanding his precocity, his powers continued to a remarkable age. His excellent translations of the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey, ” together with some of his best poems, were accomplished after the poet had passed the age of seventy. Mr. Bryant visited Europe several times; and, in 1849, he continued his travels into Egypt and Syria. Abroad, he was received with many marks of distinction; and he added much to his extensive knowledge by studying the literature of the countries he visited.
All his poems exhibit a peculiar love, and a careful study, of nature; and his language, both in prose and poetry, is always chaste, elegant, and correct. His mind was well-balanced; and his personal character was one to be admired, loved, and imitated.
Stand here by my side and turn, I pray,
On the lake below thy gentle eyes;
The clouds hang over it, heavy and gray,
And dark and silent the water lies;
And out of that frozen mist the snow
In wavering flakes begins to flow;
Flake after flake
They sink in the dark and silent lake.
See how in a living swarm they come
From the chambers beyond that misty veil;
Some hover in air awhile, and some
Rush prone from the sky like summer hail.
All, dropping swiftly, or settling slow,
Meet, and are still in the depths below;
Flake after flake
Dissolved in the dark and silent lake.
Here delicate snow stars, out of the cloud,
Come floating downward in airy play,
Like spangles dropped from the glistening crowd
That whiten by night the Milky Way;
There broader and burlier masses fall;
The sullen water buries them all, —
Flake after flake, —
All drowned in the dark and silent lake.
And some, as on tender wings they glide
From their chilly birth cloud, dim and gray.
Are joined in their fall, and, side by side,
Come clinging along their unsteady way;
As friend with friend, or husband with wife,
Makes hand in hand the passage of life;
Each mated flake
Soon sinks in the dark and silent lake.
Lo! while we are gazing, in swifter haste
Stream down the snows, till the air is white,
As, myriads by myriads madly chased,
They fling themselves from their shadowy height.
The fair, frail creatures of middle sky,
What speed they make, with their grave so nigh;
Flake after flake
To lie in the dark and silent lake.
I see in thy gentle eyes a tear;
They turn to me in sorrowful thought;
Thou thinkest of friends, the good and dear,
Who were for a time, and now are not;
Like these fair children of cloud and frost,
That glisten a moment and then are lost,
Flake after flake, —
All lost in the dark and silent lake.
Yet look again, for the clouds divide;
A gleam of blue on the water lies;
And far away, on the mountain side,
A sunbeam falls from the opening skies.
But the hurrying host that flew between
The cloud and the water no more is seen;
Flake after flake
At rest in the dark and silent lake.
STUDY GUIDE
A. Vocabulary in Context—Answer the following questions that are related to vocabulary in the poem.
1. Mist is a cloud of water droplets near the ground. How could mist be dangerous if you are driving a car?
2. Flakes are little pieces of snow. According to the poet, how do some flakes behave differently than others?
3. Hail is pellets of frozen rain. What does hail feel like on your skin?
4. Frail means easily broken. What are some things that are frail?
5. To glisten is to shine brightly. Why do the flakes glisten for a moment and then disappear?
B. What do you think? With a partner, give your opinions about the following questions.
1. In stanza six, why is the narrator's companion sad?
2. Why is “...the dark and silent lake” repeated many times in the poem?
3. What is the mood of the poem? Is it happy, sad, or angry? Explain.
4. Do you like snow? Why or why not?
5. In the last stanza, what changes? What does this mean?
6. What colours can you find in this poem?
C. Word groups—Fill in the missing words that belong in these groups.
1. weather words: snow, h ___, m ___, c ____
2. descriptive words: white, f _____, d ___, s _____
3. nature words: lake, m ________, s __, s ______