Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmithwas an Irish novelist, playwright and poet, who is best known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield, his pastoral poem The Deserted Village, and his plays The Good-Natur'd Manand She Stoops to Conquer. He is thought to have written the classic children's tale The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth10 November 1730
CountryIreland
absurdity champion defend error talkative
Every absurdity has a champion to defend it, for error is always talkative
children endearing followed good share
Even children followed with endearing wile,/ And plucked his gown, to share the good man's smile.
guarded requires scarcely sentinel virtue worth
The virtue which requires to be ever guarded is scarcely worth the sentinel
begin gaiety gay levity lose melancholy natives remarkable serious time western
To begin with Ireland, the most western part of the continent, the natives are peculiarly remarkable for their gaiety and levity of their disposition ; the English, transplanted there, in time lose their serious melancholy air, and become gay and tho
naked
The naked every day he clad, / When he put on his clothes.
aims far heart house known learned raise relieved skilled wretched
Far other aims his heart had learned to prize, / More skilled to raise the wretched than to rise. / His house was known to all the vagrant train, / He chid their wanderings, but relieved their pain.
As a wit, if not first, in the very first line.
brows cap instead night stocking
A night-cap decked his brows instead of bay, / A cap by night - a stocking all the day!
abide disappoint
As for disappointing them, I should not so much mind; but I can't abide to disappoint myself.
itself pleasure weakest within
The weakest soul, within itself unblest, Leans for all pleasure on another's breast
bed behind chest clicked clock contrived debt double drawers nicely
The white-washed wall, the nicely sanded floor, / The varnished clock that clicked behind the door; / The chest contrived a double debt to pay, / A bed by night, a chest of drawers by day.
consists fall glory greatest rising time
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall
consists glory greatest irish-poet rising time
Our greatest glory consists not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.
delusions harmless tend
I was never much displeased with those harmless delusions that tend to make us more happy.