"[Thanatopsis] was written in 1817, when Bryant was 23. Had he died then, the world would have thought it had lost a g…"

"Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom to think. And there is no freedom of thought …"

"• Let the future historian, if he will, add beauty of expression and the charm of polished diction to this plain, unp…"

"For him delicious flavors dwell In books as in old Muscatel."

"And in the evening, everywhere Along the roadside, up and down, I see the golden torches flare Like lighted street-la…"

"Song like a rose should be; Each rhyme a petal sweet; For fragrance, melody, That when her lips repeat The words, her…"

"The hunter catches a dreadful prey, the seaman steers his ship into an unspeakable harbor, the plowman sows and reaps…"

"You are the king no doubt, but in one respect, at least, I am your equal: the right to reply. I claim that privilege …"

"When Hector heard that challenge he rejoiced and right in the no man's land along his lines he strode, gripping his s…"

"In the ancient land of vintage and dance and sun-burnt mirth, there resounded during the Middle Ages a sweet chorus o…"