- From guest Margaret Lavalette (contact)
I love this poem - I read it at school and always remembered the last few verses, especially "And my youth returns, like the rains of Spring," etc. I even put the verse in my mother's death notice. The whole poem describes the era in which it was written beautifully and it is easy to imagine the life they would have lived.
- From guest Bruce Ashley (contact)
I belong to the American Mountain Men and one of our founding brothers, now deceased, recited this at our National Rendevous in the Rocky Mountains every year until his death. It echoes in my(our) soul(s)!
- From guest Phil Dirt (contact)
Halsey Stevens used American folk tunes to create a misical setting for this poem with chorus and orchestra. There exists a recording of it by the California State University, Long Beach chorus and orchestra, circa 1976 , or so.
- Thought you might be interested in knowing that Tom Russell sings this wonderfully. I don't know whether he set it to music or someone else did. The childhood verses are left out to get it down to a song's length but that's how I discovered it.
on Nov 20 2009 12:43 PM PST x edit
Rbruce - This poem epitomises the spirit of freedom and adventure. I love it as it expresses feelings from the heart, and the ultimate pleasure to rejoin all that was wild and free after death has claimed the body.
on Oct 01 2009 12:00 PM PST x edit
- From guest Harsimran (contact)
Such a good poem its the best I came across when we were in class we had assignment to do on it it was so long and we had 1 day because were in grade 6. But I still can't memorise it because we have other homework to do .
- From guest Daniel Schurhammer (contact)
I remember memorizing this when I was 7. I sill remember all but 1 verse almost 50 years later. Best poem ever.
- From guest Metin Cullen (contact)
This is a poem i memorized for fun because i loved it. I am a young 15 yr old boy.
- From guest kevin lundrigan (contact)
This is one of my favorite poems and the final line is as close to perfect as a poem can be
- From guest Anna Adams (contact)
The first poem I memorized for my own pleasure and still love 60 years later. Reading it, I'm pleased I had only altered a couple of words in my memory.
- From guest Judy M. Stillion (contact)
They tell me this is not great poetry. Yet I have remembered it for 40 years while the "grest new poets" words blow away from my mind in a day.
- From guest Ben Burton (contact)
The line, "With their long straight squirrel rifles" crossed my mind last night, and for the life of me, I couldn't recall the name of the poem, so I googled this AM and found this site. Once I saw the name and first line, I was able to recite most of it. ah, senility! I read this in one of my older sister's lit books when I was in third grade. It made an impression that early. I later (7th grade) read it to an honorable mention finish in the Birmingham city poetry festival, winning the following year with "Song of the Shirt," by Thomas Hood.
- From guest Judy (contact)
I had to learn this back in junior high and have been trying to remember the name for months. I teach school and my reading class is studying ballads and I wanted to show this to them.
