Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The American Melodies, in Three Parts: And Miscellaneous Poems
In presenting these Melodies to the American public, I have no apolo gies to make, nor favors to ask. They were written from time to time, as my feelings moved me or the muse inspired me. I neither was actu ated by any desire for literary celebrity or love of fame. Little did I imagine, in the composition of the Melodies which constitute the first part, that they would ever meet with publication; but after having writ ten quite a large number, I have succumbed to the desire of afew friends, and consigned them to the press.
I have constantly endeavored throughout the preparation of this work to strictly adhere to my original intention of making it American in tone and sentiment. How far I have succeeded in this the public may judge. Indeed, I have met with but little stimulation to induce me to sing the glories of a foreign land. Our own American forests, in all their primi tive grandeur and sublimity, present to any lover of nature such exquisitely picturesque scenery that neither Europe nor Asia can furnish their com parison.
Where can be found more noble streams than the lordly Mississippi, the queenly Ohio, or the graceful Hudson. Whose banks present unrival led scenery for observation and study.
Whatever sparks of genius these Melodies may possess, they can never be attributed to my scholastic attainments or literary merit. They are but the offspring of imagination or the productions of creative fancy, warmed into poetic life by an ardent love of the beautiful and sublime in nature, which all mankind possess to a greater or less extent, requiring but a small degree of cultivation preparatory to its existence in verse.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.