Editing Joyce Kilmer

{{short description|American poet, editor, literary critic, soldier}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name        = Joyce Kilmer
| image       = Kilmer_1908_columbia_yearbook_picture.png
| caption     = Kilmer's Columbia University yearbook photograph, c. 1908
| birth_name  = Alfred Joyce Kilmer
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1886|12|6}}
| birth_place = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]], [[U.S.]]
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1918|7|30|1886|12|6}}
| death_place = near [[Seringes-et-Nesles]], [[Marne (department)|Marne]], [[France]]
{{Infobox person|child=yes
| death_cause = [[Killed in action]]
}}
| occupation  = [[Poet]], [[journalist]], [[editor]], [[lecturer]], [[soldier]]
| alma_mater  = [[Columbia University]] (A.B. 1908)<br />[[Rutgers University|Rutgers College]]
| period      = 1909–1918
| genre       = [[Poetry]], [[literary criticism]], [[essays]], [[Catholic theology]]
| notableworks = ''Trees and Other Poems'' (1914), ''Main Street and Other Poems'' (1917)
| spouse        = [[Aline Murray Kilmer|Aline Murray]] (1908–1918, his death)
| children      = 5
| signature   = joycekilmersignature.jpg}}
'''Alfred Joyce Kilmer''' (December 6, 1886 – July 30, 1918) was an [[American people|American]] [[writer]] and [[poet]] mainly remembered for a short poem titled "[[Trees (poem)|Trees]]" (1913), which was published in the collection ''Trees and Other Poems'' in 1914. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the [[Nature|natural world]] as well as his [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] faith, Kilmer was also a [[journalist]], [[literary critic]], [[lecturer]], and [[editor]]. At the time of his deployment to Europe during [[World War I]], Kilmer was considered the leading American Catholic poet and lecturer of his generation, whom critics often compared to British contemporaries [[G. K. Chesterton]] (1874–1936) and [[Hilaire Belloc]] (1870–1953).<ref name="Hillis">Hillis, John. ''Joyce Kilmer: A Bio-Bibliography''.  Master of Science (Library Science) Thesis.  Catholic University of America.  (Washington, DC: 1962)</ref>{{rp|p.27}}<ref>Mencken, H. L. ''The American Mercury''.  Volume XIII, No. 49.  (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, January 1928), 33.</ref><ref>Maynard, Theodore. ''A book of modern Catholic verse''. (New York: Henry Holt, 1925), 16–17.</ref> He enlisted in the [[New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs|New York National Guard]] and was deployed to [[France]] with the [[69th Infantry Regiment (New York)|69th Infantry Regiment]] (the famous "Fighting 69th") in 1917. He was killed by a [[sniper]]'s bullet at the [[Second Battle of the Marne]] in 1918 at the age of 31. He was married to [[Aline Murray Kilmer|Aline Murray]], also an accomplished poet and [[author]], with whom he had five children.

While most of his works are largely unknown today, a select few of his poems remain popular and are published frequently in [[anthologies]]. Several critics—including both Kilmer's contemporaries and modern scholars—have dismissed Kilmer's work as being too simple and overly [[Sentimentality|sentimental]], and suggested that his style was far too traditional, even archaic.<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio">Hart, James A.[http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/joyce-kilmer Joyce Kilmer 1886–1918 (Biography)] at Poetry Magazine. (Retrieved August 15, 2012).</ref> Many writers, including notably [[Ogden Nash]], have [[Trees (poem)#Parodies|parodied]] Kilmer's work and style—as attested by the many imitations of "Trees."

==Biography==

===Early years and education: 1886–1908===
[[File:17 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ - Joyce Kilmer House.jpg|thumb|Birthplace at 17 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, New Brunswick]]
Kilmer was born December 6, 1886, in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]],<ref>Certificate of Birth for Alfred Joyce Kilmer, December 6, 1886, on microfilm at the Archives of the State of New Jersey, 225 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey.</ref> the fourth and youngest child,<ref group="note">Per Miriam A. Kilmer's website ([http://www.risingdove.com/Kilmer/FAQ.asp located here]. Retrieved August 14, 2012), Joyce was the fourth and youngest; however, two of his siblings, sister Ellen Annie Kilmer (1875–1876) and brother Charles Willoughby Kilmer (1880–1880), died before his birth. Kilmer's older, surviving brother, Anda Frederick Kilmer (1873–1899), died when Joyce was thirteen years old—most likely a suicide—in a Philadelphia hotel.</ref> of Annie Ellen Kilburn (1849–1932), a minor writer and composer,<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio"/><ref>"Mrs. F. B. Kilmer Dead; Mother of War Poet. Wrote of Memories of Her Son Who Was Killed in France in 1918. Was Native of Albany." ''The New York Times.'' January 2, 1932. (Retrieved August 14, 2012).</ref> and Dr. [[Frederick Barnett Kilmer]] (1851–1934), a physician and analytical chemist employed by the [[Johnson & Johnson|Johnson and Johnson Company]] and inventor of the company's [[baby powder]].<ref name=Miriam>[http://www.risingdove.com/Kilmer/FAQ.asp Joyce Kilmer: FAQ and Fancies], website published by Miriam A. Kilmer, with Kilmer genealogical information. Retrieved December 26, 2006.</ref><ref>For Dr. Kilmer as the inventor of Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder, see: Reuter, Annie. "Famous Tree Poem originates at U." ''The Daily Targum'' October 12, 2004.</ref><ref>See also Johnson & Johnson's [http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/company-history/founders/ Our History: People who made a difference] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115234705/http://www.jnj.com/connect/about-jnj/company-history/founders/ |date=November 15, 2008 }}. (Retrieved August 14, 2012).</ref> He was named Alfred Joyce Kilmer after two priests at [[Christ Church (New Brunswick, New Jersey)|Christ Church]] in New Brunswick: Alfred R. Taylor, the curate; and the Rev. Dr. Elisha Brooks Joyce (1857–1926), the rector. Christ Church is the oldest [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal]] parish in New Brunswick and the Kilmer family were parishioners.<ref>Durnin, Richard G. "Joyce Kilmer and New Brunswick, New Jersey." (New Brunswick, NJ: Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, 1993).</ref> Rector Joyce, who served the parish from 1883 to 1916, baptised the young Kilmer,<ref>Baptismal Records for Christ Church, New Brunswick, New Jersey.</ref> who remained an Episcopalian until his 1913 conversion to Catholicism. Kilmer's birthplace in New Brunswick, where the Kilmer family lived from 1886 to 1892, is still standing and houses a small museum to Kilmer, as well as a few [[Middlesex County, New Jersey|Middlesex County]] government offices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newbrunswick.com/historic.asp#jk |title=Historic New Brunswick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310054802/http://www.newbrunswick.com/historic.asp |archive-date=March 10, 2007}}, published by New Brunswick City Market, (no further authorship information given) Retrieved August 17, 2006.</ref>

Kilmer entered Rutgers College Grammar School (now [[Rutgers Preparatory School]]) in 1895 at the age of 8. During his years at the Grammar School, Kilmer was editor-in-chief of the school's paper, the ''Argo'', and loved the classics but had difficulty with Greek. He won the first Lane Classical Prize, for oratory, and obtained a scholarship to Rutgers College which he would attend the following year. Despite his difficulties with Greek and mathematics, he stood at the head of his class in preparatory school.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.9}}

After graduating from Rutgers College Grammar School in 1904, he continued his education at [[Rutgers University|Rutgers College]] (now Rutgers University) from 1904 to 1906. At Rutgers, Kilmer was associate editor of the ''[[The Daily Targum|Targum]]'', the [[college newspaper|campus newspaper]], and a member of the [[Delta Upsilon]] fraternity.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oE1AAAAAIAAJ&q=fraternity|title=Memories of My Son Sergeant Joyce Kilmer|first=Annie|last=Kilburn Kilmer|publisher=Brentano's|year=1920|page=3|access-date=April 25, 2014}}</ref> However, he was unable to complete the curriculum's rigorous mathematics requirement and was asked to repeat his sophomore year. Under pressure from his mother, Kilmer transferred to [[Columbia University]] in New York City.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.10}}

At Columbia, Kilmer was vice-president of the [[Philolexian Society]] (a literary society), associate editor of ''[[Columbia Spectator]]'' (the campus newspaper), and member of the Debating Union. He completed his [[Bachelor of Arts]] (A.B.) degree and graduated from Columbia on May 23, 1908.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.11}} Shortly after graduation, on June 9, 1908, he married [[Aline Murray Kilmer|Aline Murray]] (1888–1941), a fellow poet to whom he had been engaged since his sophomore year at Rutgers.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.11}}<ref>Certificate of Marriage for Aline Murray and Alfred Joyce Kilmer, June 9, 1908, on microfilm at the Archives of the State of New Jersey, 225 West State Street, Trenton, New Jersey.</ref> The Kilmers had five children: Kenton Sinclair Kilmer (1909–1995); Rose Kilburn Kilmer (1912–1917); Deborah Clanton Kilmer (1914–1999), who became a nun ("Sister Michael") at the [[Saint Benedict's Monastery (St. Joseph, Minnesota)|Saint Benedict Monastery, St. Joseph, Minnesota]]; Michael Barry Kilmer (1916–1927); and Christopher Kilmer (1917–1984).<ref name=Miriam/>

===Years of writing and faith: 1909–1917===
[[File:Kilmer Home Mahwah New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|The Kilmer family lived in this home on Airmount Road in Mahwah, New Jersey. It was here that his poem "Trees" was written in February 1913.]]
In the autumn of 1908, Kilmer was employed teaching Latin at [[Morristown High School]] in [[Morristown, New Jersey]].<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio" /> At this time, he began to submit essays to ''Red Cross Notes'' (including his first published piece, an essay on the "Psychology of Advertising") and his early poems to literary periodicals. Kilmer also wrote book reviews for ''The Literary Digest'', ''[[Town & Country (magazine)|Town & Country]]'', ''[[The Nation]]'', and ''[[The New York Times]]''. By June 1909, Kilmer had abandoned any aspirations to continue teaching and relocated to New York City, where he focused solely on developing a career as a writer.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.13}}

From 1909 to 1912, Kilmer was employed by [[Funk and Wagnalls]], which was preparing an edition of ''The Standard Dictionary'' that would be published in 1912.<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio" /> According to Hillis, Kilmer's job "was to define ordinary words assigned to him at five cents for each word defined. This was a job at which one would ordinarily earn ten to twelve dollars a week, but Kilmer attacked the task with such vigor and speed that it was soon thought wisest to put him on a regular salary."<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.14}}

In 1911, Kilmer's first book of verse was published, entitled ''Summer of Love.'' Kilmer later wrote, "some of the poems in it, those inspired by genuine love, are not things of which to be ashamed, and you, understanding, would not be offended by the others."<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.18}}

In 1912, Kilmer became a special writer for the ''[[New York Times Book Review|New York Times Review of Books]]'' and the ''[[New York Times Sunday Magazine]]'' and was often engaged in lecturing.<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio" /> He moved to [[Mahwah, New Jersey]], where he resided until his service and death in [[World War I]]. By this time he had become established as a published poet and as a popular lecturer. According to Robert Holliday, Kilmer "frequently neglected to make any preparation for his speeches, not even choosing a subject until the beginning of the dinner which was to culminate in a specimen of his oratory. His constant research for the dictionary, and, later on, for his New York Times articles, must have given him a store of knowledge at his fingertips to be produced at a moment's notice for these emergencies."<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.21}}<ref name=holliday>Holliday, Robert Cortes (ed.). "Memoir" in ''Joyce Kilmer: Poems, Essays and Letters.'' 2 volumes. (New York: George H. Doran Company, 1918), 1:24.</ref>

When the Kilmers' daughter Rose (1912–1917) was stricken with [[poliomyelitis]] (also known as infantile paralysis) shortly after birth,<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio" /> they turned to their religious faith for comfort. A series of correspondence between Kilmer and Fr. James J. Daly led the Kilmers to convert to Catholicism, and they were [[Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults|received in the church]] in 1913. In one of these letters, Kilmer writes that he "believed in the Catholic position, the Catholic view of ethics and aesthetics, for a long time," and he "wanted something not intellectual, some conviction not mental – in fact I wanted Faith." Kilmer would stop "every morning for months" on his way "to the office and prayed for faith," claiming that when "faith did come, it came, I think, by way of my little paralyzed daughter. Her lifeless hands led me; I think her tiny feet know beautiful paths. You understand this and it gives me a selfish pleasure to write it down."<ref>Letter from Joyce Kilmer to Father James J. Daly, January 9, 1914, in Holliday, Robert Cortes (ed.) and Kilmer, Joyce. ''Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes''. (New York: George H. Doran, 1918 – ''published posthumously'').</ref><ref>Daly, James Jeremiah. "Some letters of Joyce Kilmer." in his ''A Cheerful Ascetic, and other essays''. (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Bruce, 1931), 76–86.</ref>

With the publication of [[Trees (poem)|"Trees"]] in the magazine ''[[Poetry Magazine|Poetry]]'' in August 1913, Kilmer gained immense popularity as a poet across the United States. He had established himself as a successful lecturer—particularly one seeking to reach a Catholic audience. His close friend and editor Robert Holliday wrote that it "is not an unsupported assertion to say that he was in his time and place the laureate of the Catholic Church."<ref name="holliday" /> ''Trees and Other Poems'' (1914) was published the following year. This collection also introduced the popular poem "The House With Nobody In It". Over the next few years, Kilmer was prolific in his output, managing an intense schedule of lectures, publishing a large number of essays and literary criticism, and writing poetry. In 1915 he became poetry editor of ''Current Literature'' and contributing editor of ''Warner's Library of the World's Best Literature''. In 1916 and 1917, before the [[American entry into World War I]], Kilmer would publish four books: ''The Circus and Other Essays'' (1916), a series of interviews with literary personages entitled ''Literature in the Making'' (1917), ''Main Street and Other Poems'' (1917), and ''Dreams and Images: An Anthology of Catholic Poets'' (1917).<ref name="PoetryMagazineBio" /> In the aftermath of the 1916 [[Easter Rising]] in Ireland, Kilmer helped organize a large memorial service in New Yorks Central Park for those who died in that conflict.<ref>{{cite book |last=Macardle |first=Dorothy |author-link= |date=1965 |title=The Irish Republic |url= |location=New York |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |page=191 |isbn=}}</ref> 

===War years: 1917–1918===
[[File:Joyce Kilmer.jpg|thumb|Sgt. Joyce Kilmer, as a member of the [[165th Infantry Regiment]], United States Army, c. 1918]]

In April 1917, a few days after the United States entered [[World War I]], Kilmer enlisted in the Seventh Regiment of the [[New York National Guard]]. In August, Kilmer was assigned as a statistician with the [[165th Infantry Regiment]] (better known as the re-designated "Fighting 69th", the [[69th New York Infantry Regiment]]), of the [[42nd Infantry Division (United States)|42nd "Rainbow" Division]], and quickly rose to the rank of [[Sergeant#United States|sergeant]]. Though he was eligible for commission as an officer and often recommended for such posts during the course of the war, Kilmer refused, stating that he would rather be a sergeant in the Fighting 69th than an officer in any other regiment.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.35}}

Shortly before his deployment to Europe, the Kilmers' daughter Rose died, and twelve days later their son Christopher was born.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.32}} Before his departure, Kilmer had contracted with publishers to write a book about the war, deciding upon the title ''Here and There with the Fighting Sixty-Ninth''. The regiment arrived in France in November 1917, and Kilmer wrote to his wife that he had not written "anything in prose or verse since I got here—except statistics—but I've stored up a lot of memories to turn into copy when I get a chance."<ref>Letter from Joyce Kilmer to Aline Kilmer, November 24, 1917 in Kilmer, Joyce with Holliday, Robert Cortes (editor). ''Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes.'' (1918).</ref> Kilmer did not write such a book; however, toward the end of the year, he did find time to write prose sketches and poetry. The most notable of his poems during this period was "[[Rouge Bouquet (poem)|Rouge Bouquet]]" (1918) which commemorated the deaths of two dozen members of his regiment in a German artillery barrage on American trench positions in the [[Rouge Bouquet|Rouge Bouquet forest]] north-east of the French village of [[Baccarat, Meurthe-et-Moselle|Baccarat]]. At the time, this was a relatively quiet sector of the front, but the first battalion was struck by a German [[heavy artillery]] [[bombardment]] on the afternoon of March 7, 1918, that buried 21 men of the unit, killing 19 (of which 14 remained entombed).<ref>[http://www.aboutjonesfamily.com/PAGES/DIARY3.HTM World War I Diary of Joseph J. Jones Sr.], published at website "One Jones Family" by Joseph J. Jones III. Retrieved December 27, 2006.</ref><ref>[http://www.69thny.com/rouge_bouquet.htm The History of the Fighting 69th: Rouge Bouquet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929201057/http://www.69thny.com/rouge_bouquet.htm |date=September 29, 2007 }} (no further authorship information given). Retrieved December 27, 2006.</ref><ref name="Duffy">{{cite book|author= Duffy, Francis Patrick|title=Father Duffy's Story|url=https://archive.org/stream/fatherduffysstor00duffuoft/fatherduffysstor00duffuoft_djvu.txt|year=1919|publisher=New York: George H. Doran Company}}</ref>{{rp|p.350}}

Kilmer sought more hazardous duty and was transferred to the [[military intelligence]] section of his regiment, in April 1918. In a letter to his wife, Aline, he remarked: "Now I'm doing work I love – and work you may be proud of. None of the drudgery of soldiering, but a double share of glory and thrills."<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.36}} According to Hillis, Kilmer's fellow soldiers had accorded him much respect for his battlefield demeanour—"He was worshipped by the men about him. I have heard them speak with awe of his coolness and his nerve in scouting patrols in [[no man's land]]. This coolness and his habit of choosing, with typical enthusiasm, the most dangerous and difficult missions, led to his death."<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.36}}

===Death and burial===
During the [[Second Battle of Marne]] there was heavy fighting throughout the last days of July 1918. On July 30, 1918, Kilmer volunteered to accompany Major [[William J. Donovan|"Wild Bill" Donovan]] (later, in World War II, the founder of the [[Office of Strategic Services]], forerunner to the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]) when Donovan's battalion (1–165th Infantry) was sent to lead the day's attack.

During the course of the day, Kilmer led a scouting party to find the position of a German machine gun. When his comrades found him, some time later, they thought at first that he was peering over the edge of a little hill, where he had crawled for a better view. When he did not answer their call, they ran to him and found him dead. According to Father [[Francis P. Duffy]]: "A bullet had pierced his brain. His body was carried in and buried by the side of Ames. God rest his dear and gallant soul."<ref name="Duffy" />{{rp|p.193}} A [[sniper]]'s bullet likely killed him instantly. According to military records, Kilmer died on the battlefield near Muercy Farm, beside the Ourcq River near the village of [[Seringes-et-Nesles]], in France, on July 30, 1918, at the age of 31.<ref>" Joyce Kilmer Slain on the West Front; Former Member of Times Staff Had Won Sergeantcy In The 165th of Infantry. His Writings Well Known Author Was Rutgers And Columbia Graduate—Several Veterans Of The 69th Killed. His Lusitania Poem. Fought At The Marne. Veteran Of 69th Killed. Lieut. Harwood 'Doing Fine.' Parents Receive Letter Written After Date Of Reported Death." ''The New York Times'' August 18, 1918.</ref> For his valor, Kilmer was posthumously awarded the [[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]] (War Cross) by the [[France|French Republic]].<ref>"Joyce Kilmer cited for French War Cross" ''The New York Times'' January 2, 1919.</ref>

Kilmer was buried in the [[Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial]], near Fere-en-Tardenois, [[Aisne]], [[Picardy]], France just across the road and stream from the farm where he was killed.<ref>[https://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/oise-aisne-american-cemetery American Battle Monuments Commission]</ref> A [[cenotaph]] erected to his memory is located on the Kilmer family plot in [[Elmwood Cemetery (North Brunswick, New Jersey)|Elmwood Cemetery]], in [[North Brunswick, New Jersey]].<ref>[https://www.mycentraljersey.com/picture-gallery/life/2018/05/25/photos-parker-veterans-celebrate-an-early-memorial-day/35360327/ My Central Jersey]</ref> A Memorial Mass was celebrated at [[St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St. Patrick's Cathedral]] in [[New York City]] on October 14, 1918.<ref>"Mass for Joyce Kilmer. Memorial Service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York Tomorrow Morning." ''The New York Times''. October 13, 1918.</ref>

<gallery heights="220px" widths="150px" mode="nolines">
File:Kilmer family monument, Elmwood Cemetery, NJ.jpg|Cenotaph at [[Elmwood Cemetery (North Brunswick, New Jersey)|Elmwood Cemetery]]
Image:Kilmer plaque.JPG|Plaque honoring Kilmer in [[Central Park]], New York City
Image:Joyce kilmer plaque.jpg|Plaque honoring Kilmer in [[Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest]]
File:KilmerMemorialPlaque.JPG|Plaque erected at the [[Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest]] in [[Graham County, North Carolina]]
</gallery>

==Works==

==="Trees"===
{{See also|Trees (poem)}}
[[File:Cover kilmer 1914 trees and other poems.jpg|thumb|right|The cover of Joyce Kilmer's ''Trees and Other Poems'', published in 1914]]

Joyce Kilmer's reputation as a poet is staked largely on the widespread popularity of one poem—[[Trees (poem)|"Trees"]] (1913). It was first published in the August 1913 issue of ''[[Poetry Magazine|Poetry: A Magazine of Verse]]'' which had begun publishing the year before in [[Chicago, Illinois]]<ref>Kilmer, Joyce. "Trees" in ''Poetry: A Magazine of Verse'', V. 2, (Chicago: Modern Poetry Association, August 1913), 160.</ref> and was included as the title poem in a collection of poems ''Trees and Other Poems'' (1914).<ref>Kilmer, Joyce. ''Trees and Other Poems''. (New York: Doubleday Doran and Co., 1914), 18.</ref> According to Kilmer's oldest son, Kenton, the poem was written on February 2, 1913, when the family resided in Mahwah, New Jersey.

{{blockquote|It was written in the afternoon in the intervals of some other writing. The desk was in an upstairs room, by a window looking down a wooded hill. It was written in a little notebook in which his father and mother wrote out copies of several of their poems, and, in most cases, added the date of composition. On one page the first two lines of 'Trees' appear, with the date, February 2, 1913, and on another page, further on in the book, is the full text of the poem. It was dedicated to his wife's mother, Mrs. Henry Mills Alden, who was endeared to all her family.<ref name="CorsonColl">Letter from Kenton Kilmer to Dorothy Colson in Grotto Sources file, Dorothy Corson Collection, University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana).</ref>}}

Many locations including [[Rutgers University]] (where Kilmer attended for two years),<ref>[http://www.bikwil.com/Vintage04/What-Difference-Tree-Makes.html What a Difference a Tree Makes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822071010/http://www.bikwil.com/Vintage04/What-Difference-Tree-Makes.html |date=August 22, 2006 }} citing Lax, Roer and Smith, Frederick. ''The Great Song Thesaurus''. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989). {{ISBN|0-19-505408-3}}. Retrieved December 25, 2006.</ref><ref>''[[The New York Times]]'', September 19, 1963. Of note, in an article reporting the demise of the "Kilmer Oak" is a quote that "Rutgers said it could not prove that Kilmer...had been inspired by the oak." which further confirms this attribution is unsubstantiated and its dissemination within the realm of rumor and urban (or in this case, provincial) legend.</ref> [[University of Notre Dame]],<ref>Corson, Dorothy V. ''A Cave of Candles: The Story behind the Notre Dame Grotto'', [http://www.nd.edu/~wcawley/corson/cors023.htm found online here] (Retrieved August 15, 2012).</ref> as well as historians in Mahwah, New Jersey and in other places,<ref>Curley, John. "End of Legend: Kilmer's Oak to Fall" ''The Free Lance-Star''. (September 17, 1963).</ref> have boasted that a specific tree was the inspiration for Kilmer's poem. However, Kenton Kilmer refutes these claims, remarking that, {{blockquote|Mother and I agreed, when we talked about it, that Dad never meant his poem to apply to one particular tree, or to the trees of any special region. Just any trees or all trees that might be rained on or snowed on, and that would be suitable nesting places for robins. I guess they'd have to have upward-reaching branches, too, for the line about 'lifting leafy arms to pray.' Rule out weeping willows."<ref name="CorsonColl" />}}

The popular appeal of this simple poem is likely the source of its endurance despite the continuing negative opinion of the poem's merits from scholars and critics. According to Robert Holliday, Kilmer's friend and editor, "Trees" speaks "with authentic song to the simplest of hearts" and that "(t)he exquisite title poem now so universally known, made his reputation more than all the rest he had written put together. That impeccable lyric which made for immediate widespread popularity."<ref>Holliday, Robert Cortes. "Memoir," in Joyce Kilmer, edited by Holliday (New York: Doran, 1918), I: 17–101.</ref> Its popularity has also led to parodies of the poem—some by noted poets and writers. The pattern of its first lines (''I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.'') is of seemingly simple [[rhyme]] and [[Metre (poetry)|meter]] and easy to mimic along with the poem's choice of [[metaphor]]s. One of the best known parodies is "Song of the Open Road" by American humorist and poet [[Ogden Nash]] (1902–1971):

: ''I think that I shall never see''
: ''A billboard lovely as a tree.''
: ''Indeed, unless the billboards fall,''
: ''I'll never see a tree at all.''<ref>Nash, Ogden. "Song of the Open Road" first published in Argosy. Vol. 12 No. 8. (July 1951), 63.</ref>

===Influences upon Kilmer's verse===
Kilmer's early works were inspired by, and were imitative of, the poetry of [[Algernon Charles Swinburne]], [[Gerard Manley Hopkins]], [[Ernest Dowson]], [[Aubrey Beardsley]], and [[William Butler Yeats]] (and the [[Celtic Revival]]). It was later through the influence of works by [[Coventry Patmore]], [[Francis Thompson]], and those of [[Alice Meynell]] and her children [[Viola Meynell]] and [[Francis Meynell]], that Kilmer seems to have become interested in Catholicism.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.19}} Kilmer wrote of his influences:

{{blockquote|I have come to regard them with intense admiration. Patmore seems to me to be a greater poet than Francis Thompson. He has not the rich vocabulary, the decorative erudition, the Shelleyan enthusiasm, which distinguish the ''Sister Songs'' and the ''Hound of Heaven,'' but he has a classical simplicity, a restraint and sincerity which make his poems satisfying.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.19}} }}

Because he was initially raised [[Anglicanism|Episcopalian]] (or Anglican), Kilmer became literary editor of the Anglican weekly, ''The Churchman'', before his conversion to [[Catholicism]]. During this time he did considerable research into 16th and 17th century Anglican poets as well as [[Metaphysical poets|metaphysical]], or mystic poets of that time, including [[George Herbert]], [[Thomas Traherne]], [[Robert Herrick (poet)|Robert Herrick]], [[Arthur Cleveland Coxe|Bishop Coxe]], and [[Robert Stephen Hawker]] (the eccentric vicar of the [[Church of St Morwenna and St John the Baptist, Morwenstow|Church of Saint Morwenna and Saint John the Baptist]] at [[Morwenstow]] in [[Cornwall]])—the latter whom he referred to as "a coast life-guard in a cassock." These poets also had an influence on Kilmer's writings.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.19}}

Critics compared Kilmer to British Catholic writers [[Hilaire Belloc]] and [[G. K. Chesterton]]—suggesting that his reputation might have risen to the level where he would have been considered their American counterpart if not for his untimely death.<ref>Campbell, Pearl H. "Kilmer, late laureate of the Catholic Church" in ''Magnificat''. Volume 64. (June 1939), 78–82</ref><ref>Connolly, Helen. "Kilmer the essayist" in ''Magnificat''. Volume 76. (July 1945), 128–31</ref>

===Legacy===
Kilmer's death at age 31 denied him the opportunity to develop into a more mature poet. Because modern critics{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} often dismiss "Trees" as simple verse, much of Kilmer's work (especially his literary criticism) has slipped into obscurity. Only a very few of his poems have appeared in anthologies, and with the exception of "Trees"—and to a much lesser extent [[Rouge Bouquet (poem)|"Rouge Bouquet"]] (1917–1918)—almost none have obtained lasting widespread popularity.<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.26}}<ref name="Hillis" />{{rp|p.40}}

The entire corpus of Kilmer's work was produced between 1909 and 1918 when [[Romanticism]] and [[Sentimentality|sentimental]] [[lyric poetry]] fell out of favor and [[Modernism]] took root—especially with the influence of the [[Lost Generation]]. In the years after Kilmer's death, poetry went in drastically different directions, as is seen especially in the work of [[T. S. Eliot]] and [[Ezra Pound]]. Kilmer's verse is conservative and traditional, and does not break the formal rules of poetics—he can be considered as one of the last poets of the [[Romanticism|Romantic era]]. His style has been criticized for not breaking free of traditional modes of [[Poetry#Elements|rhyme, meter, and theme]], and for being too sentimental to be taken seriously.<ref>Aiken, Conrad Potter. "Confectionary and Caviar: Edward Bliss Reed, John Cowper Powys, Joyce Kilmer, Theodosia Garrison, William Carlos Williams," in ''[https://archive.org/stream/scepticismsnotes00aikeiala/scepticismsnotes00aikeiala_djvu.txt Scepticisms]''. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1919), 178–86.</ref>

In the 1940 film, "The Fighting 69th", the role of Sergeant Joyce Kilmer was portrayed by actor [[Jeffrey Lynn]].

==Tributes==
[[File:Sgt_Joyce_Kilmer_Triangle_E12_St_KH_jeh.jpg|thumb|right|Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle]]
*Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle in [[Midwood, Brooklyn]] is named after him. The triangle, a resting place on [[Kings Highway (Brooklyn)]] intersecting ''Quentin Road'', between East 12th and 13th Streets ({{Coord|40.60789|-73.96066|dim:10_region:US-NY_type:landmark |display=inline|name=Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle}}), is the smallest park in New York City.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/new-york-today-striving-for-success
|title=New York Today: Striving for Success
|date=April 7, 2015
|quote=(2015) There is a tie for the honor of smallest park: Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle in Midwood, Brooklyn, and Luke J. Lang Square in Maspeth, Queens}}</ref><ref>(2017){{Cite web|

   url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/sgt-joyce-kilmer-triangle
         |title=Sgt. Joyce Kilmer Triangle
         |publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]]
         |language=en |access-date=2017-08-03}}</ref> occupying {{Convert|0.001|acre|ha}} of land.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/new-york-today-striving-for-success
|title=New York Today: Striving for Success
|last=Schlossberg |first=Tatiana |date=2015-04-07 |website=City Room
|access-date=2017-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ny.curbed.com/maps/new-york-city-smallest-parks
   |title=New York City's 20 tiniest parks, mapped
   |last=Dailey  |first=Jessica  |date=September 22, 2016 |work=Curbed NY |access-date=2017-08-03}}</ref>
*Joyce Kilmer Park in [[the Bronx, New York]], near [[Yankee Stadium]], is named after him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Joyce Kilmer Park |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/joyce-kilmer-park/ |website=NYC Parks |access-date=7 April 2023}}</ref>
*Joyce Kilmer Triangle in the [[Rogers Park, Chicago|Rogers Park]] neighborhood of [[Chicago]] is dedicated to him. A Chicago-area [[American Legion]] post named after Kilmer dedicated a plaque there at a small triangle formed by the intersection of [[Rogers Avenue (Chicago)|Rogers Avenue]], [[Ashland Avenue]] and Birchwood Avenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joyce Kilmer Triangle, a War Memorial |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=268303 |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}}</ref>
*Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Chicago
*[[Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest]] in North Carolina, part of the [[Nantahala National Forest]], is named after Kilmer.
*A service plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike in East Brunswick is named after Kilmer.
*[[List of Fairfax County Public Schools middle schools#Joyce Kilmer Middle School|Kilmer Middle School]] in [[Vienna, Virginia]] is named for Kilmer.
*Joyce Kilmer School in [[Mahwah, New Jersey]] is named after him.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joyce Kilmer School / Homepage |url=https://www.mahwah.k12.nj.us/Domain/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mahwah.k12.nj.us%2Fsite%2Fdefault.aspx%3FDomainID%3D10 |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=www.mahwah.k12.nj.us |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in [[Cherry Hill, New Jersey]]
*Joyce Kilmer Natural Area in [[Bald Eagle State Forest]], Pennsylvania is named after him.<ref name="Fergus">{{Cite book |last=Fergus |first=Charles |title=Natural Pennsylvania: Exploring the State Forest Natural Areas. |publisher=Stackpole Books |year=2002 |pages= 101–103 |location=Mechanicsburg, PA}}</ref>
*Joyce Kilmer School in West Roxbury (Boston), MA

==Works==
* 1911: ''Summer of Love'' (poetry)
* 1914: ''[[Trees (poem)|Trees]] and Other Poems'' (poetry)
* 1916: ''The Circus and Other Essays'' (essays)
* 1917: ''Main Street and Other Poems'' (poetry)
* 1917: ''The Courage of Enlightenment: An address delivered in Campion College, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to the members of the graduating class, June 15, 1917''
* 1917: ''Dreams and Images: An Anthology of Catholic Poets'' (poetry anthology, edited by Kilmer)
* 1917: ''Literature in the Making by some of its Makers'' (criticism)
* 1918: ''Poems, Essays and Letters in Two Volumes'' Volume One: Memoir and Poems, Volume Two: prose works (collected works) (published posthumously, edited by Robert Cortes Holliday)
* 1919: Kilmer's unfinished history of the Fighting 69th (145th Infantry) is posthumously printed in ''Father Duffy's Story'' by Francis P. Duffy (New York: Doran, 1919)
* 1921: ''The Circus and Other Essays and Fugitive Pieces'' (published posthumously)

==See also==
* [[Joyce Kilmer Memorial Bad Poetry Contest]]
* [[List of places named after Joyce Kilmer]]
* [[:Category:Poetry by Joyce Kilmer]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=note}}

===References===
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Harry J. Cargas|Cargas, Harry J.]] ''I lay down my life: A Biography of Joyce Kilmer'' (Boston, Massachusetts: Daughters of Saint Paul Editions, 1964). NO ISBN (pre-1964)
* Covell, John E. ''Joyce Kilmer: A Literary Biography''. (Brunswick, Georgia: Write-Fit Communications, 2000). {{ISBN|978-0-615-11175-9}}
* Kilmer, Annie Kilburn. ''Whimsies, More Whimsies''. (New York: Frye Publishing Co., 1929). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
* Kilmer, Annie Kilburn. ''Memories of My Son, Sergeant Joyce Kilmer''. (New York: Brentano's, 1920). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
* Kilmer, Annie Kilburn. ''Leaves of My Life''. (New York: Frye Publishing Co., 1925). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
* Kilmer, Kenton. ''Memories of my Father, Joyce Kilmer'' (Joyce Kilmer Centennial, 1993). {{ISBN|978-0-9637524-0-6}}
* Roberto, Brother C.S.C. ''Death Beneath the Trees: A Story of Joyce Kilmer'' (South Bend, Indiana: Dujarie Press-University of Notre Dame, 1967). NO ISBN (Privately published).
* Smaridge, Norah. ''Pen and Bayonet: The Story of Joyce Kilmer''. (Stroud, Gloucestershire, England: Hawthorn Books, 1962). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
* {{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date=July 2018|title=VFW Celebrates World War I Poet|magazine=VFW Magazine|volume=105|number=9|location=Kansas City, Mo.|publisher=[[Veterans of Foreign Wars|Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States]]|page=8|issn=0161-8598}}
* [https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2018/07/27/tragedy-joyce-kilmer-catholic-poet-killed-world-war-I Werner, Stephen. "The tragedy of Joyce Kilmer, the Catholic poet killed in World War I." America, 219, No. 2 (July 27, 2018).]
{{Div col end}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons}}
{{wikisource author}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=149 | name=Joyce Kilmer}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Joyce Kilmer}}
* {{Librivox author |id=1341}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060902205446/http://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/fl/f83%7D3.htm Kilmer archive], Georgetown University Library
* [http://www.marquette.edu/library/archives/Mss/JKCC/JKCC-series1.shtml Joyce Kilmer/Campion College Collection] Raynor Memorial Libraries / Marquette University
* [https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/joyce-kilmer Joyce Kilmer: Profile, Poems, Essays at Poets.org]
* {{cite web |title=The Joyce Kilmer House |url=https://www.thinkeryandverse.org/kilmer_house.html |publisher=Thinkery & Verse, New Brunswick Historical Association, and New Brunswick Historical Society |date=2021}}

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