Edward Rowland Sill: An Early American Poet

Edward Rowland Sill: An Early American Poet

Edward Rowland Sill was born in Windsor, Connecticut, in 1841. His mother's side of the family was religious, while his father's family was scientific. Deeply rooted in New England heritage, the Sill family could trace their ancestry back to Jonathan Edwards. Sill's background in religion and science led him to a life-long struggle between faith and doubt. He has been described as a "poet of antithesis, torn between intellectual conviction and spiritual question" (Ferguson 1). These qualities strongly shaped his personality as well as his writing style, and influenced him throughout his life as a poet and teacher.

As a child, Sill was weak and constantly in poor health, leading to a chosen life of seclusion. Although he remained active in his later years both teaching and writing, Sill constantly struggled with his introspective qualities. He was quiet and shy, despite a "talent for friendship" (Ferguson 22), which he displayed upon entering Yale at age sixteen. At Yale, Sill spent two years in academic rebellion, refusing to conform to general expectations, and instead choosing to think for himself and follow his thirst for knowledge. During his last two years at Yale he matured into a deep thinker, still yearning for ultimate knowledge. The poems Sill published in the Yale Literary Magazine signaled the start of his writing career.

Despite his university education, Sill remained indecisive about his future career. His love of knowledge pulled him in all directions, from writing to medicine. To make his final decision, he moved to California with his good friend Sextus Shearer. Ultimately, Sill spent a majority of his life writing and teaching, both on the East coast and the ...

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...nd down.

Send down Thy love, Thy life,

Our lesser lives to crown,

And cleanse them of their hate and strife:

Thy living love send down.

Send down Thy peace, O Lord:

Earth’s bitter voices drown

In one deep ocean of accord:

Thy peace, O God, send down.

Bibliography

"Edward Rowland Sill." The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907-21). XVII.II. 14 Nov. 2002 < www.bartleby.com/227/0314.html>.

Ferguson, Alfred Riggs. Edward Rowland Sill: The Twilight Poet. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1955.

Sill, Edward R. "The Fools Prayer." 14 Nov. 2002 <http.//www.eyeontomorrow.com/ embracingthechild/Cfoolspray.html>.

---. "Opportunity." 14 Nov. 2002 <http.//www.geocites.com/sscolari0001/Opportunity.hyml>.

---. "Send Down Thy Truth , O God." 14 Nov. 2002 <http://www.cyberhymnal.org/ hym/s/d/sdttogod.htm>.