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
dares safety
He that dares traduce, because he can with safety to himself, is not a man.
chose nor pebble spear sword
Nor sword nor spear the stripling took, / But chose a pebble from the brook.
doth next ride
Now let us sing, Long live the king, / And Gilpin, long live he; / And when he next doth ride abroad, / May I be there to see!
drawing dropping empty growing toil
From reveries so airy, from the toil / Of dropping buckets into empty wells, / And growing old in drawing nothing up.
domestic happiness paradise survived thou
Domestic happiness, thou only blissOf Paradise that has survived the fall!
delights misery trace
But misery still delights to trace / Its semblance in another's case.
horseback ride
So you must ride / On horseback after we.
intervals music soft village
How soft the music of those village bellsFalling at intervals upon the earIn cadence sweet!
contest dust great involves learned
Great contest follows, and much learned dust / Involves the combatants.
enthusiast half mankind till wild
No wild enthusiast ever yet could rest, till half of mankind were, like himself, possest
animated brush discourse mean modesty point press
Discourse may want an animated "No"To brush the surface, and to make it flow;But still remember, if you mean to please,To press your point with modesty and ease.
finds fools idle wisdom wishes
In idle wishes fools supinely stay;Be there a will, -- and wisdom finds a way.
aware deceive happy human laborious loan studious waste
Me, therefore, studious of laborious ease,Not slothful, happy to deceive the time,Not waste it, and aware that human lifeIs but a loan to be repaid with use.
awkward goal leg lies-and-lying lose truth
One leg by truth supported, one by lies,They sidle to the goal with awkward pace,Secure of nothing -- but to lose the race.