Canada; as a whole, is undoubtedly full of natural beauty. From the breathtaking mountains of British Columbia to the cliffs and oceanic scenery of the East coast, the nation could be considered one large artistic inspiration. With the rise of the Romantic era in the 1800s, Canadian poets began to embrace the stunning landscapes, creating various works of literature pertaining to the impact nature had on them. Creativity and emotion flooded works of the time, generating an enormous variety of themes that aimed to portray nature. For Canadian poets, nature was represented with the utmost importance; highlighting its ability to connect with individuals’ emotions and spirituality. This can be found in both Frederick George Scott’s The Unnamed Lake, in the admiration of nature’s beauty and the idea of it being decimated by human intervention, and Bliss Carman’s Vestigia; the glory of nature leading to the discovery of the author’s spirituality. While both of these Canadian Romantic-era works represent nature with a similar level of importance, the authors use their own interpretations of such to form different ideas and themes to get their perspectives across in proficient ways.
French Canadian Frederick George Scott’s The Unnamed Lake is a masterclass in the representation of nature and its discovery as an ever-peaceful and genuinely breathtaking experience, only ever disturbed by the existence of humans on planet earth. Scott uses an unnamed lake among mountains near the city of St. Raymond, Quebec to portray the still tranquillity of nature:
It sleeps among the thousand hills / Where no man ever trod, / And only nature’s music fills / The silences of God. // Great mountains tower above its shore, / Green rushes fringe its brim, / And over its breast for evermore / The wanton breezes skim. (Scott, lines 1-8)
From the first line, the absolute calm is evident within the nature surrounding and within the ‘unnamed lake’. Scott ensures to mention that the lake is “Where no man ever trod” (Scott, line 2), clarifying the lack of any kind of human intervention or presence; emphasizing the untouched beauty of the location. In addition, Scott carefully describes that the lake “sleeps among the thousand hills” (Scott, line 1). This personification of the lake further enforces the idea of nature being purest in an undisturbed form. Never interfered with by man, the lake ‘sleeps’, being shielded by the ‘great mountains’ that ‘tower above its shore’. During the Romantic era, the industrial capacity and sizes of cities and countries grew ever stronger. Factories and infrastructure began to multiply and expand, destroying and impeding nature’s beauty. Being written on the brink of the beginning of the 20th century, this is an idea that Scott made sure to allude to within his poem. Moreover, Scott uses an alternate rhyming scheme throughout the entirety of the work. This creates the feeling that the reader is seemingly tagging along and walking with Scott; participating in his journey through nature. It feels like the audience is going on a tour, guided by Scott and his vivid descriptions of the scenery and sounds. The theme of nature in Scott’s poetry is directly compared to the style of the great William Wordsworth in The Development of Poetry in Canada, 1880-1940. In a piece published by the Poetry Foundation; an independent Chicago-based literary organization, author E. K. Brown highlights the significance and spotlight of nature in Scott’s poems:
Scott, whose career has led him from a third-class clerk-ship in the federal department of Indian affairs to its headship, fuses with a Wordsworthian attitude to nature a fine awareness of the past civilization of those whom in his active horse he has done so much to aid. (Brown, 39)
This comparison to William Wordsworth; a man whose poetry and work both are widely celebrated and have a direct focus on the beauty of nature, demonstrates how Scott is able to represent nature with such a focus on beauty and peace. Although, it might be interpreted that Scott is directing the main focus of the poem toward the flaws of the human race and its industrialization. As touched on previously, the poem has a strong focus on demonstrating that the lake lies hidden from the reach of humans. Even so, this theme is supported by the notion that nature is tranquil and stunning: being what Scott aimed to portray within the poem.
Although nature was one of the main focus points of poetry in the romantic era, religion also played a massive part in influencing the literature of the time. In renowned Canadian poet Bliss Carman’s Vestigia, both religion and nature are linked together to create a representation of nature that highlights its importance, creating a sense of spirituality within nature. Carman accomplishes this by using specific sights, feelings and sounds in the second and third stanzas:
Then suddenly, all unaware, / Far off in the deep shadows, where / A solitary hermit thrush / Sang through the Holy twilight hush / I heard His voice upon the air. // And even as I marvelled how / God gives us Heaven here and now, / In a stir of wind that hardly shook / the poplar leaves beside the brook – / His hand was light upon my brow. (Carman, lines 6-15)
Throughout these stanzas, nature is portrayed as a messenger of God. When the hermit thrush simply gives its call, Carman describes that he “heard His voice upon the air” (Carman, line 10). Carman uses nature; as God’s creation, as an example of the spirituality that exists within the world. He goes as far as stating: “And even as I marvelled how / God gives us Heaven here and now,” (Carman, lines 11-12) making the comparison of the nature he experiences to the holy kingdom of Heaven: God’s dwelling place. This not only demonstrates how Carman finds God within nature, but its true magnificent beauty as well. Moreover, Carman makes certain to mention that either ‘His voice’ or ‘His hand’ is heard or felt; the ‘Him’ referring to God. This personification of God in nature puts emphasis on the power that is carried within it, along with its ability to move and seemingly transcend the physical world. In these two stanzas, Carman uses the limerick rhyming scheme. This is done to put a spotlight on the last lines in either stanza; the connection and presence of God that he finds in nature. The use of this specific rhyming scheme also helps to form a pattern in the repetition of the final line, making the religious connotations quite apparent. In a The Sewanee Review journal article entitled The Poetry of Bliss Carman, author R. H. Hathaway highlights the prominence of the two main themes of Carman’s poetry: love and religion. Published by The John Hopkins University Press, Hathaway uses the article to build off of previously formulated ideas:
Considering Mr. Carman’s poetry as a whole, Professor Shepherd says that the poet himself classifies it under two heads: the poetry of love and the poetry of religion, but hastens to add that this is made more intelligible by his explanation that nearly all his nature poetry is religious in its intention and ultimate meaning. Mr. Carman’s classification, even with his added explanation, is hardly likely to be accepted by any but those who have given his work intimate study; but it is in essence true . . . no one can read his work with the key given by the poet himself without feeling that Mr. Carman is religious to the core. (Hathaway, 478)
The religious intentions behind Carman’s poetry are very apparent. Building on the remarks of Hathaway, Carman’s Vestigia carries both the themes that are universally prevalent within his oeuvre: finding religion through the love of nature. Although, the love of nature is an aspect of the work that could be up to perspective. Individuals reading Vestigia without knowledge of Carman’s work might come to the conclusion that the theme of love is nowhere to be found; only the theme of religion is evident. However, it is quite difficult to not find the tie-ins to nature. Romanticism toward religion is only found through the exploration of nature; realizing this is crucial in the understanding of the representation of nature in Carman’s work.
Canadian authors Frederick George Scott and Bliss Carman are both true virtuosos in using different methods to represent nature in their own personal manner. In Scott’s The Unnamed Lake, personification and the theme of human destruction is employed in conjunction with an alternate rhyming scheme to represent nature as something beautiful to be admired and protected. Carman’s Vestigia; on the other hand, uses the limerick rhyming scheme along with ties to spirituality to highlight nature’s importance along with its ability to aid in the finding of God. However, both emphasize personification in their work, creating a sense of comfort in nature. Scott demonstrates these traits in The Unnamed Lake while describing the timeless beauty of the lake:
Dark clouds that intercept the sun / Go there in Spring to weep, / And there, when Autumn days are done. / White mists lie down to sleep. // Sunrise and sunset crown with gold / The pinks of ageless stone, / Her winds have thundered from of old - / And storms have set their throne. (Scott, lines 9-16)
Throughout this extract, it is evident that Scott aims to portray nature as a piece of fine art. Rather than focusing the entirety of the poem on his journey through the lake, he shifts his focus and imagines the lake remaining beautiful through changing seasons, times of day and weather conditions. Scott writes that the clouds “Go there in Spring to weep” (Scott, line 10) and that “Her winds have thundered from of old-” (Scott, line 15), using personification to almost characterize nature: giving it human emotions and traits. As a result of this, the reader feels much more connected to nature and is able to form a deep understanding of Scott’s appreciation for it. Furthermore, the alternate rhyming scheme present once again aids in engaging the audience in a guided manner. Scott’s rhyming scheme helps emphasize the supposed history of the lake, giving the audience the means of imagining the scenery in a flashback fashion. Bliss Carman’s captivating religious take on nature can be viewed in his reflection on his spiritual realization through nature:
At last with evening as I turned / Homeward, and thought what I had learned
and all that there was still to probe – / I caught the glory of His robe / Where the last fires of sunset burned. // Back to the world with quickening start / I looked and longed for any part / In making saving Beauty be….. / And from that kindling ecstasy / I knew God dwelt within my heart. (Carman, lines 16-25)
Although Carman focuses more on the religious ideas in his poem in the previous extract, it still serves as a substantial example of how he aims to represent nature. Carman, while reflecting on his discovery journey through nature, states that “I caught the glory of His robe / When the last fires of sunset burned.” (Carman, lines 20-21). Again, personification is employed to represent nature (the fires of sunset) solidifying the spiritual fulfilment Carmen obtained in his short expedition. With the limerick rhyming scheme, Carman is able to emphasize his final line of “I knew God dwelt within my heart.” (Carman, line 25). This allows the reader to share Carman’s wholeness in spirituality, expanded by his use of an end-stopped line: signifying the end of Carman’s search for God. As stated previously, both authors use personification in their representation of nature. Although Bliss uses the language feature for the purpose of displaying religion and Scott uses it as a means of characterizing nature, both authors utilize it to highlight their perspectives on the importance of nature regardless. One of the most prominent differences is the structural aspects of both poems. While The Unnamed Lake uses an alternate rhyming scheme, Vestigia uses the limerick structure. This is due to Scott’s tour-like writing; taking the reader alongside him through his visit to nature. For Carman, the journey is one of discovery; being able to sum up his spiritual discovery at the end of every stanza.
As is evident, both Frederick George Scott’s The Unnamed Lake and Bliss Carman’s Vestigia aim to portray nature in a very positive and romantic light, using their unique personal writing styles and ideas to accomplish such and highlight its importance. Whether it be through Scott walking the reader through a journey-esk experience and reflecting on humanity’s negative implications on nature’s beauty or with Bliss undergoing a spiritual discovery brought on by nature’s magnificence, its significance is never understated. In comparing the two works, there are some similarities and some differences in the language and structure that is employed; however, The Unnamed Lake and Vestigia are both exceptional examples of how nature’s qualities were portrayed in the Romantic era in Canada. Truly, Canada is a country with a seemingly infinite amount of natural beauty. As learned from these works of literature, an individual can discover themselves in deep reflection through nature: setting the path toward emotional and spiritual satisfaction.
Works Cited
Primary Sources
Carman, Bliss. “A Poem – Vestigia – Crystal Corridor of Light.” Crystal Corridor of Light,
19 September 2019, https://crystalcorridorlight.com/2019/09/a-poem-vestigia/.
Accessed 24 June 2022.
Scott, Frederick George. “The Unnamed Lake | RPO.” Representative Poetry Online,
1936, https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/unnamed-lake#0. Accessed 16 June
2022.
Secondary Sources
Brown, E. K. “The Development of Poetry in
Canada, 1880-1940.” Poetry, vol. 58, no. 1,
1941, pp. 34–47. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20582520. Accessed 24 Jun. 2022.
Hathaway, R. H. “The Poetry of Bliss Carman.” The Sewanee Review, vol. 33, no. 4,
1925, pp. 469–83. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27533923. Accessed 24 Jun. 2022.
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