Thanatopsis Explained

"Thanatopsis" comes from the Greek phrase meaning "a view of death," and generally refers to the meditative poem by 18th-century American Puritan poet William Cullen Bryant. Bryant wrote the poem in 1811 when he was 17 and expanded it seven years later.

Influences

• As a young man, Bryant was influenced by British "graveyard poets" Thomas Gray, Robert Blair and William Wordsworth. Wordsworth's meditation on mortality and nature in the poem "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" was a special influence on Bryant's "Thanatopsis," which also draws a connection to symbols of nature and the mystery of death.

Themes

• Even though he wrote it when he was still in his teens, Bryant's poem contains a thoughtful, philosophical outlook on death. In the following excerpt, Bryant alternates between portraying death as a solitary event, which a person must face alone, and as the shared destiny of all people.

  "In their last sleep--the dead reign there alone.--

  So shalt thou rest--and what if thou shalt fall

  Unnoticed by the living--and no friend

  Take note of thy departure? All that breathe

  Will share thy destiny."

Legacy

• With its embrace of nature, "Thanatopsis" is notable for exemplifying the rugged spirit of the Puritans. Bryant's poem also used blank verse, which set him apart from other poets at the time and ushered in a new era of American poetry. In the essay "Outlines of English and American Literature," William J. Long states that it was Bryant's sincerity and simplicity that made him a true original of American poetry.