William Cowper
William Cowper
William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In many ways, he was one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry. Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him "the best modern poet", whilst William Wordsworth particularly admired his poem Yardley-Oak. He was a nephew of the poet Judith Madan...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPoet
Date of Birth26 November 1731
taught
With outstretched hoe I slew him at the door, / And taught him NEVER TO COME THERE NO MORE.
above repose
Without one friend, above all foes, Britannia give the world repose
clubs diamond spots typical
With spots quadrangular of diamond form,/ Ensanguined hearts, clubs typical of strife, / And spades, the emblem of untimely graves.
beneath deeper
We perished, each alone: / But I beneath a rougher sea, / And whelmed in deeper gulfs than he.
dearest help idol tear throne thy whatever worship
The dearest idol I have known, Whatever that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy throne , And worship only thee.
beneath brave fast native toll
Toll for the brave - / The brave! that are no more: / All sunk beneath the wave, / Fast by their native shore.
careless damning kiss outside sin
Thousands, careless of the damning sin, / Kiss the book's outside who ne'er look within.
great stir tis
Tis pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat, / To peep at such a world; to see the stir / Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd.
chance false fool fools-and-foolishness hard tis
Tis hard if all is false that I advance, A fool must now and then be right, by chance
english-poet wisdom
Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.
dread drink endless evil god good spring thou
Thou god of our idolatry, the press. . . .Thou fountain, at which drink the good and wise;Thou ever-bubbling spring of endless lies;Like Eden's dread probationary tree,Knowledge of good and evil is from thee.
darkest english-poet past till
The darkest day, if you live till tomorrow, will have past away.
bell repair unto
To-morrow is our wedding-day, / And we will then repair / Unto the Bell at Edmonton, / All in a chaise and pair.
celestial fire pregnant
. . . words, pregnant with celestial fire.