Beneath the waning moon I walk at night,
And muse on human life--for all around
Are dim uncertain shapes that cheat the sight,
And pitfalls lurk in the shake along the ground,
And broken gleams of brightness, here and there,
Glance through, and leave unwarmed the death-like air.

The trampled earth returns a sound of fear--
A hollow sound, as if I walked on tombs ;
And lights, that tell of cheerful homes, appear
Far off, and die like hope amid the glooms.
A mournful wind across the landscape flies,
And the wide atmosphere is full of sighs.

And I, with faltering footsteps, journey on,
Watching the stars that roll the hours away,
Till he faint light that guides me now is gone,
And, like another life, the glorious day
Shall open o'er me from the empyreal height,
With warmth, and certainty, and boundless light.  

William Cullen Bryant

Biography

William Cullen Bryant was born in Cummington MA on November 3, 1792. He was the son of Dr Peter Bryant who served in both the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives. William Cullen Bryant attended Williams College for two years before leaving to persue law studies under Judge Howe of Worthington and Mr. William Baylies of Bridgewater. Bryant was first published at the age of 12 in the Hampshire Gazette. His first major work entitled "Thanatopsis" was written in his 18th year.