The Vision of Sir Launfal

River marshes, winter ice and the remembered fields of Cambridge give James Russell Lowell's verse a closely observed local setting. This collection brings together The Vision of Sir Launfal and other poems, with a biographical sketch, notes and illustrations. The title poem is arranged in two parts, each preceded by a prelude. Elsewhere, the contents move between seasonal scenes, classical figures and poems addressed to public voices such as W. L. Garrison and Wendell Phillips.

In the nature verse, a bobolink tends its young, a boy eagerly tries on new skates, and the Charles River breaks free of frost. Changing light and weather lead into reflections on peace, memory and the spread of houses across familiar green spaces. The opening sketch connects this attention to place with Lowell's childhood at Elmwood and his education at Harvard. Readers interested in nineteenth century American poetry can follow the link between his home landscape and his wider public concerns.