Benjamin West Ball

Benjamin West Ball was an American poet who lived from 1823 to 1896. The sources available here identify him as a United States poet, and some reference material also lists him as an editor.

His best-known books include Elfin Land and Other Poems from 1851 and The Merrimack River, Hellenics, and Other Poems from 1892. The surviving descriptions of his work suggest a taste for lyrical, imaginative writing, blending beauty, memory, mythology, and scenes from nature.

Ball is a fairly obscure figure today, and the reliable biographical details that are easy to confirm online are limited. Even so, his poetry remains accessible through public-domain archives, where readers can still discover the gentle musicality and romantic atmosphere of his verse.