SOURCE: “Bliss Carman's ‘Low Tides,’” in Canadian Literature, Vol. 129, Summer, 1991, pp. 130-33.

In the following essay, Vincent compares Carman's well-known poem “Low Tide on Grand Pré” (1893) with an earlier version of the same poem, titled “Low Tide on Avon” (1886).

The publication of “Low Tide on Grand-Pré” in the Atlantic Monthly of March 1887 has been generally recognized by literary critics as the first significant milestone in Bliss Carman's development as a poet. It reflects an increased confidence in craftsmanship, a deeper maturity in poetic voice, and a greater clarity of poetic vision and direction. Carman himself acknowledged the importance of the poem by placing it first among the poems in his first volume of verse and by entitling that volume Low Tide on Grand-Pré (New York, 1893). Later, and with the benefit of hindsight, in a letter to H.D.C. Lee (29 September 1911), he expressed the view that he “did...