Canadian poet of the nineteenth century, whose songs, in minor key, have obtained considerable popularity; born in Frederickton, NB, on the 15th of April 1861. He was educated at the University of New Brunswick and also studied abroad. Then he read law for a few years, tried engineering, and returned to his studies in philosophy and English at Harvard in 1886. Four years later he became connected with the editorial staff of the New York Independent, also assisting in launching the early numbers of the Chap-Book and contributing thereto. His first book of verse, Low Tide on Grand Pré, was published in 1893, and won unusual recognition from capable critics. There was in it a tender threnody and strain of the woods and waste places, as well as true poesy. His next volume, Songs From Vagabondia, written in collaboration with Richard Hovey, was published in 1894, and was as favorably received. In 1895 he issued a Threnody for Robert Louis Stevenson, a delicate tribute of poetry to his dead friend.
In October 1895 was published, in uniformity with a special series, Behind the Arras: A Book of the Unseen, in which the author’s previous reputation was fully sustained. Indeed, in his particular field, Mr. Carman, by his fresh glimpses of life and nature, reveals the scenes of his native Arcady, linking his verses with memories of Longfellow. In 1904 he was editor-in-chief of The World’s Best Poetry.
