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
dinner
The dinner waits, and we are tired: / Said Gilpin - So am I!
attentive dwells heads knowledge minds thoughts wisdom
Knowledge dwells in heads replete with thoughts of other men; wisdom in minds attentive to their own.
genius manner substitute whatever wit
Manner is all in all whatever is writ, the substitute for genius sense and wit
says wife
Says John, It is my wedding-day, / And all the world would stare, / If wife should dine at Edmonton, / And I should dine at Ware.
kissed likewise maid seemed
He kissed likewise the maid in the kitchen, and seemed upon the whole a most loving, kissing, kind-hearted gentleman.
army-and-navy concern customs great motley says sees
He sees that this great roundaboutThe world, with all its motley rout,Church, army, physic, law,Its customs and its businesses,Is no concern at all of his,And says -- what says he? -- Caw.
mechanic mere poetry tune
Made poetry a mere mechanic art; / And every warbler has his tune by heart.
captain citizen credit famous john london
John Gilpin was a citizen / Of credit and renown, / A train-band captain eke was he / Of famous London town.
affection black skins white
Skins may differ, but affectionDwells in white and black the same.
bestowed divinely soon taste wings
Society, friendship, and love, / Divinely bestowed upon man, / Oh, had I the wings of a dove, / How soon would I taste you again!
man strive
But strive still to be a man before your mother.
crush enter evening foot list public sets snail step tread
I would not enter in my list of friends, Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm. An inadvertent step may crush the snail That crawls at evening in the public path, But he has the humanity, forewarned, Will tread aside, and let the reptile live.
pleasure received
I never received a little pleasure from anything in my life; if I am pleased, it is in the extreme.
fast golden haunt holds lives pinch rich wants
He that holds fast the golden mean,And lives contently betweenThe little and the great,Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's door.