Lampman, Archibald (1861-1899), was one of the leading Canadian poets of the late 1800’s. Lampman’s importance lies in his effort to capture a uniquely Canadian landscape in his poetry. He saw such works as the contribution he could make to the development of a distinctly Canadian literature.
Lampman’s poetry reflects the influence of William Wordsworth and other English romantic poets. Like Wordsworth, Lampman believed people were spiritually exhausted by urban industrialism and needed to renew themselves by solitary communion with nature. Lampman published three collections of poems—Among the Millet, and Other Poems (1888), Lyrics of Earth (1895), and Alcyone (1899).
Lampman was born on Nov. 17, 1861, in the village of Morpeth, Ontario, near Blenheim. He worked for the Canadian Post Office in Ottawa. However, he was a dedicated naturalist and his canoeing expeditions into the wilderness and walks into the countryside provided him with the experience for his poems. Lampman suffered from rheumatic fever as a child, and as an adult his health was poor. He died on Feb. 10, 1899, of heart disease at the age of 38.
