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
lying ocean son
Embosom'd in the deep where Holland lies. Methinks her patient sons before me stand, Where the broad ocean leans against the land.
lying men describe-me
Here lies David Garrick, describe me who can, An abridgment of all that was pleasant in man.
dog laughter wind
The watch-dog's voice that bay'd the whispering wind, And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
nice party learning
Who, born for the universe, narrow'd his mind, And to party gave up what was meant for mankind; Though fraught with all learning, yet straining his throat To persuade Tommy Townshend to lend him a vote. Who too deep for his hearers still went on refining, And thought of convincing while they thought of dining: Though equal to all things, for all things unfit; Too nice for a statesman, too proud for a wit.
learning luxury doing-good
And learn the luxury of doing good.
learning skills gazing
In arguing too, the parson own'd his skill, For e'en though vanquish'd he could argue still; While words of learned length and thundering sound Amaz'd the gazing rustics rang'd around; And still they gaz'd, and still the wonder grew That one small head could carry all he knew.
struggle adversity men
The greatest object in the universe, says a certain philosopher, is a good man struggling with adversity; yet there is still a greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it.
country character skills
Whatever the skill of any country may be in the sciences, it is from its excellence in polite learning alone that it must expect a character from posterity.
mind body active
A mind too vigorous and active, serves only to consume the body to which it is joined.
ambition kind fame
Of all kinds of ambition, that which pursues poetical fame is the wildest
mother silence tongue
Silence is become his mother tongue.
dog men mad
Elegy of the Death of a Mad Dog The dog, to gain some praivate ends, Went mad and bit the man.
dog mad degrees
Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog And in that town a dog was found, As many dogs there be, Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound, And curs of low degree.
wisdom truth fool
Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, and fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.