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THE NEW YORK

PUBLIC LIBRARY
159300

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN POUNDATIONS.
1899.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1835, BY E. R. BROADERS,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.

BOSTON:

TUTTLE, WEEKS AND DENNETT,
8, School Street,

Well

Lit

PREFACE.

THIS little volume is confidently offered to the public, as supplying a desideratum, which has long, existed. It embraces in a convenient compass, so me of the most popular fugitive pieces, by American writers. Our poetry is, as yet, almost entirely lyric in its character. Barlow's Columbiad is an exception, but that work, though not contemptible, is deficient in all the properties of a great poem. No one, in these days, would think of quoting it as a production honorable to our infant literature. The lumbering epic of Dr Dwight, though marked with passages of beauty, is yet little better than dull prose, measured off into indifferent pentameters. An obruit oblivio is already its doom. There have been other long-winded attempts in verse, claiming the title of epics, which it is now the part of humanity to forget. Our poetical history cannot be traced back with much credit to ourselves, beyond the last war. Since that period, few of our poets have attempted to soar beyond the lyric in their efforts.

The "Bucaneer" of Dana, and the "Curiosity" of Sprague, are works, which will be honorably re

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