Poetry
Ambrose Bierce
Description
While better known for his short stories and his satirical The Devil’s Dictionary, American journalist Ambrose Bierce was also a prolific writer of serious, comic, sentimental, and satirical poetry, verse, and epigrams.
Bierce’s poetry contains similar themes as much of his other work. His bitter cynicism on human nature is exemplified in “Montefiore,” “Incurable,” and “The Man Born Blind.” Echoes of the American Civil War, in which Bierce fought for the Union, appear in works such as “At a ‘National Encampment,’ ” “The Death of Grant,” and “The Hesitating Veteran.” Religion is not spared, and he addresses it in “The Lord’s Prayer on a Coin,” “Religion,” and “Theosophistry.” He even wrote several short satirical dramas in verse, addressing, among other topics, Prohibition (“Metempsychosis”), the railroads (“The Birth of the Rail”), and Chinese expulsion in California (“ ‘Peaceful Expulsion’ ”). His poems such as “A Vision of Doom,” “Avalon,” “The Passing Show,” and “Invocation” (one of his most well-known poems) capture his metaphysical outlook and pessimism. He even pens a fine elegy to his cat in “In Memoriam.”
This comprehensive collection contains much of Bierce’s poetical work from multiple sources: his early poems and epigrams published in The Fiend’s Delight under his pseudonym “Dod Grile”; his poetry collections Shapes of Clay and Black Beetles in Amber, as edited and revised by him in his Collected Works; his various “ante-mortem” epitaphs on individuals who had not yet died (“On Stone”); his collection of hundreds of epigrams, also published in his Collected Works; and several uncollected poems, published in various newspapers.
Read free
This ebook is thought to be free of copyright restrictions in the United States. It may still be under copyright in other countries. If you’re not located in the United States, you must check your local laws to verify that this ebook is free of copyright restrictions in the country you’re located in before accessing, downloading, or using it.
Download for ereaders
-
Compatible epub — All devices and apps except Kindles and Kobos.
-
azw3 — Kindle devices and apps. Also download the Kindle cover thumbnail to see the cover in your Kindle’s library. Despite what you’ve been told, Kindle does not natively support epub. You may also be interested in our Kindle FAQ.
-
kepub — Kobo devices and apps. You may also be interested in our Kobo FAQ.
-
Advanced epub — An advanced format that uses the latest technology not yet fully supported by most ereaders.
Read online
A brief history of this ebook
More details
Sources
Transcriptions
Page scans
Improve this ebook
Anyone can contribute to make a Standard Ebook better for everyone!
To report typos, typography errors, or other corrections, see how to report errors.
If you’re comfortable with technology and want to contribute directly, check out this ebook’s GitHub repository and our contributors section.
You can also donate to Standard Ebooks to help fund continuing improvement of this and other ebooks.