Carman, Bliss (1861-1929), was a Canadian poet whose verse praises the beauty and power he saw in nature. Carman’s descriptions of the landscape suggest images of death and lost love. Much of his verse expresses a sense of yearning for the beauty of scenes from his past. His poetry also praises the carefree life of a wanderer. Carman was influenced by the religious and philosophical movement called transcendentalism, and by the American poets Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman (see Transcendentalism ).
Carman’s first book of verse, Low Tide on Grand Pre, was published in 1893. It contained some of his best-known lyrics on nature. Perhaps Carman’s most popular books were the Vagabondia series, written with the American poet Richard Hovey. These books include Songs from Vagabondia (1895), More Songs from Vagabondia (1896), and Last Songs from Vagabondia (1901). Carman later won praise for his love poems in From the Book of Myths (1902), Songs of the Sea Children (1904), and Sappho (1904). He also wrote a number of essays.
William Bliss Carman was born in Fredericton, N.B. After attending Oxford and Harvard universities, he began his career as a journalist in New York City.
