author

Abner Cosens

1861–1942

A Canadian poet remembered for patriotic and devotional verse, he is best known for "War Rhymes by Wayfarer," a World War I-era collection published under the pen name Wayfarer. His work has survived through public-domain archives and Canadian poetry collections, where readers can still find dozens of his poems.

1 Audiobook

War Rhymes by Wayfarer

War Rhymes by Wayfarer

by Abner Cosens

About the author

Abner Cosens was a Canadian poet born in 1861 and died in 1942. Reliable literary and archival sources connect him with Canada, and a grave record places his burial in Wingham, Ontario.

He is best known today for War Rhymes by Wayfarer, a poetry collection preserved by Project Gutenberg. That edition identifies Wayfarer as his pseudonym, which helps explain why some of his writing is remembered under that name rather than his own.

Modern readers usually encounter his work through public-domain and reference sites rather than through a large modern biography. The poems that remain easiest to find suggest a writer drawn to faith, public life, and the emotional force of wartime verse.