American

Philip Freneau

1752–1832

Philip Freneau (1752–1832) was an American poet and journalist, born in New York City. He studied at Princeton alongside James Madison and became known as the “Poet of the American Revolution” for his satires on the British and his patriotic verse.

He later edited the National Gazette in Philadelphia. His nature lyrics, such as “The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786), are often seen as early signs of Romanticism in American poetry.

Poems (361)

The Wild Honeysuckle
The History of the Prophet Jonah
The Adventures of Simon Swaugum, a Village Merchant
The Pyramids of Egypt
The Monument of Phaon
The Power of Fancy
The Prayer of Orpheus
The Deserted Farm-House
The Citizen's Resolve
The Dying Elm
Columbus to Ferdinand
The Rising Glory of America
The Rising Glory of America (later version)
On Retirement
Discovery
The Pictures of Columbus, the Genoese
The Expedition of Timothy Taurus, Astrologer
A Political Litany
American Liberty, a Poem
General Gage's Soliloquy
The Midnight Consultations; or, a Trip to Boston
The Silent Academy
Lines to a Coasting Captain
To the Americans
The Vernal Ague
General Gage's Confession
The Distrest Shepherdess
Mars and Hymen
Mac Swiggen
The House of Night
The Jamaica Funeral
The Beauties of Santa Cruz
On a Hessian Debarkation
The Jewish Lamentation at Euphrates
America Independent
On Amanda's Singing Bird
On the New American Frigate Alliance
On the Death of Captain Nicholas Biddle
Captain Jones's Invitation
The Sea Voyage
George the Third's Soliloquy
Sir Harry's Invitation
A Dialogue Between His Britannic Majesty and Mr. Fox
The British Prison Ship
On the Memorable Victory
An Address
A New-York Tory
To Lord Cornwallis
A London Dialogue
Lord Cornwallis to Sir Henry Clinton
The Vanity of Existence
On the Fall of General Earl Cornwallis
To the Memory of the Brave Americans
Arnold's Departure
Plato, the Philosopher, to His Friend Theon
Prologue
Stanzas: Occasioned by the Ruins of a Country Inn, Unroofed and Blown Down in a Storm
The Royal Adventurer
Lord Dunmore's Petition to the Legislature of Virginia
Epigram
A Speech
Rivington's Last Will and Testament
Lines: Occasioned by Mr. Rivington's New Titular Types to His Royal Gazette
Lines: On Mr. Rivington's New Engraved King's Arms to His Royal Gazette
A Prophecy
The Argonaut
The Political Balance
Dialogue at Hyde-Park Corner
On the Late Royal Sloop of War General Monk
Truth Anticipated
Barney's Invitation
Song
On Sir Henry Clinton's Recall
Sir Guy Carleton's Address to the Americans
Scandanavian War Song
The Projectors
On General Robertson's Proclamation
A Picture of the Times
Prince William Henry's Soliloquy
Satan's Remonstrance
The Refugees' Petition to Sir Guy Carleton
Sir Guy's Answer
To a Concealed Royalist
To the Concealed Royalist: In Answer to a Second Attack
To the Concealed Royalist: On His Farewell
To the Royalist Unveiled
To Shylock Ap-Shenkin (Long have I sate)
The Prophecy of King Tammany
Rivington's Reflections
New Year's Verses (January 1, 1783)
New Year's Verses (January 8, 1783)
Political Biography
Stanzas: Occasioned by the Departure of the British from Charleston
On the British King's Speech
A New-York Tory's Epistle
Manhattan City
Verses
Rivington's Confessions
A News-Man's Address
New Year's Verses (1784)
The Happy Prospect
The Dying Indian
Lines: Intended for Mr. Peale's Exhibition
The Hurricane
To the Keeper of the King's Water Works
Lines: Written at Port-Royal, in the Island of Jamaica
To Sir Toby
Elegy on Mr. Robert Bell
On the First American Ship
The Newsmonger
Sketches of American History
The Progress of Balloons
On the Emigration to America
The Seasons Moralized
On the Death of Colonel Laurens
On the Vicissitudes of Things
Pewter-Platter Alley
On the Death of the Republican Patriot and Statesman, General Joseph
A Renegado Epistle
The American Siberia
Epistle to Sylvius
The Departure (1785)
A Newsman's Address (Old Eighty-Five discharg'd)
Literary Importation
The Englishman's Complaint
On a Book Called Unitarian Theology
To Zoilus
On the Legislature of Great-Britain Prohibiting the Sale, in London, of Doctor David Ramsay's History of the Revolution in South Carolina
The Death Song of a Cherokee Indian
Stanzas: Written at the Foot of Monte Souffriere, Near Basseterre, Guadaloupe
On the Crew of a Certain Vessel
The Bermuda Islands
Florio to Amanda
Philander: or the Emigrant
The Fair Solitary
Amanda in a Consumption
Elegiac Lines
The Insolvent's Release
May to April
To an Author
To Misfortune
To Cracovius Putridus
Slender's Journey
The Hermit of Saba
The Indian Burying Ground
The Indian Student
The Man of Ninety
Alcina's Enchanted Island
Horace, Lib. I. Ode 15
A Subscription Prayer
Epistle to the Patriotic Farmer
Palemon to Lavinia
A Newsman's Address (Though past events are hourly read)
On the Prospect of a Revolution in France
To a Dog
To Lydia
To Cynthia
Amanda's Complaint
Hatteras
St. Catharine's
To Mr. Churchman
The Procession to Sylvania
The Pilgrim's Progress
Sangrado's Expedition to Sylvania
The Distrest Theatre
To Memmius
Neversink
The Rising Empire
Log-Town Tavern
The Wanderer
On the Demolition of Fort-George
Congress Hall, N. Y.
Epistle to Peter Pindar, Esq.
The New England Sabbath-Day Chace
On the Sleep of Plants
On the Demolition of an Old College
On the Death of Dr. Benjamin Franklin
Epistle: From Dr. Franklin to His Poetical Panegyrists
Constantia
Stanzas: Occasioned by Lord Bellamont's, Lady Hay's, and Other Skeletons
The Orator of the Woods
Nanny
Nabby
The Bergen Planter
Tobacco
The Banished Man
The Departure: Occasioned by the Removal of Congress from New-York to Philadelphia
The American Soldier
Occasioned by a Legislation Bill Proposing a Taxation upon Newspapers
The Citizen's Soliloquy
To the Public
Lines: By H. Salem, on His Return from Calcutta
Modern Devotion
The Country Printer
Seventeen Hundred and Ninety-One
Lines: Written on a Puncheon of Jamaica Spirits
The Parting Glass
A Warning to America
The Dish of Tea
On the Fourteenth of July
To Crispin O'Conner
Crispin's Answer
To Shylock Ap-Shenkin (Since the day I attempted)
To My Book (Seven years are now elaps'd)
Stanzas: To the Memory of Robert and William Sevier
To a Persecuted Philosopher
To an Angry Zealot
The Pyramid of the Fifteen American States
On the Demolition of the French Monarchy
On the French Republicans
On the Portraits
To a Republican
Ode to Liberty
Ode
On the Death of a Republican Printer
On the Anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille
Thoughts on the European War System
A Matrimonial Dialogue
On the Memorable Naval Engagement
To Shylock Ap-Shenkin: In Reply to Big Looks and Menaces
Pestilence
On Dr. Sangrado's Flight
Elegy
To Sylvius
The Blessings of the Poppy
Quintilian to Lycidas
The Bay Islet
Jeffery, or, the Soldier's Progress
To Shylock Ap-Shenkin (In shallow caves)
To a Writer of Panegyric
The Forest Beau
Epistle: To a Student of Dead Languages
To a Noisy Politician
The Sexton's Sermon
On a Legislative Act
Addressed to a Political Shrimp, or, Fly upon the Wheel
Hermit's Valley
To My Book (Unhappy Volume)
The Republican Genius of Europe
The Rival Suitors for America
Mr. Jay's Treaty
Parody
On the Invasion of Rome
On the Death of Catharine II
Prefatory Lines
On the War
To Myrtalis
To Mr. Blanchard
On Hearing a Political Oration, Superficially Composed on an Important Subject
Megara and Altavola
The Republican Festival
Ode for July the Fourth, 1799
Address
To Peter Porcupine
On the Attempted Launch
On the Launching of the Frigate Constitution
On the Free Use of the Lancet
The Book of Odes
On the Federal City
The Royal Cockneys in America
To the Scribe of Scribes
To the Americans of the United States
To a Night-Fly
The Indian Convert
The Pettifogger, or Fee Simple, Esquire
On a Celebrated Performer on the Violin
New Year's Verses (1798)
On Arriving in South Carolina, 1798
Ode to the Americans
On the War Patrons, 1798
To the Democratic Country Editors
The Serious Menace
Reflections: On the Mutability of Things
The Political Weather-Cock
Reflections: On the Gradual Progress of Nations from Democratical States to Despotic Empires
Commerce
On False Systems
On the Proposed System
On a Proposed Negotiation
Stanzas to an Alien
Stanzas: Written in Blackbeard's Castle, St. Thomas
Lines Written at Sea
Stanzas: To the Memory of General Washington
Stanzas: Upon the Same Subject with the Preceding
Stanzas: Occasioned by Absurd Panegyrics on the Late General Washington
To the Memory of Edward Rutledge, Esq.
On the Departure of Peter Porcupine
The Nautical Rendezvous
To the Memory of the Late Ædanus Burke, Esq., of South-Carolina
To the Rev. Samuel Stanhope Smith, D.D.
Stanzas: Published at the Procession to the Tomb of the Patriots
The Tomb of the Patriots
On the Peak of Pico
A Bacchanalian Dialogue
Stanzas Written at the Island of Madeira
On the Peak of Teneriffe
Answer to a Card of Invitation
On Seniora Julia
Lines on Seniora Julia
On a Rural Nymph
On General Miranda's Expedition
On the Abuse of Human Power
October's Address
To a Caty-Did
On Passing by an Old Churchyard
Stanzas Occasioned by a Melancholy Survey of an Old English Tobacco Box Inscribed 1708
On the Death of a Master Builder
On the Death of a Masonic Grand Sachem
On a Honey Bee
On the Fall of an Ancient Oak Tree
Stanzas on the Decease of Thomas Paine
On the Symptoms of Hostilities
Lines Addressed to Mr. Jefferson
On the Prospect of War, and American Wrongs
On the British Commercial Depredations
To America
The Suttler and the Soldier
Military Recruiting
On the Capture of the Guerriere
Theodosia
In Memory of James Lawrence, Esquire
On the Lake Expeditions
The Battle of Lake Erie
On the Capture of the United States Frigate Essex
The Terrific Torpedoes
The Northern March
On Political Sermons
Lines on Napoleon Bonaparte
On the Dismission of Bonaparte
The Prince Regent's Resolve
The Volunteer's March
The Battle of Stonington
On the British Invasion
On the English Devastations
On the Conflagrations at Washington
To the Lake Squadrons
The Battle of Lake Champlain
A Dialogue at Washington's Tomb
Sir Peter Petrified
On the Death of General Ross
On the Naval Attack Near Baltimore
On the British Blockade
Royal Consultations
On the Loss of the Privateer Brigantine
On the Brigantine Privateer
The Parade and Sham-Fight
Retaliation
On the Launching of the Seventy-Four Gun Ship Independence
The Brook of the Valley
The American Village
The Farmer's Winter Evening
The Miserable Life of a Pedagogue
Upon a Very Ancient Dutch House on Long Island
Human Frailty
Extracts from "The Life of Hugh Gaine"
Columbus in Chains
Emancipation from British Dependence
The Bonhomme Richard and Serapis
Eutaw Springs
Occasioned by General Washington's Arrival in Philadelphia, on His Way to His Residence in Virginia
On a Travelling Speculator

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