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
finger great
While fancy, like the finger of a clock,Runs the great circuit, and is still at home.
genius manner substitute whatever wit
Manner is all in all whatever is writ, the substitute for genius sense and wit
both easier eyes follow foolish
To follow foolish precedents, and winkWith both our eyes, is easier than to think.
mean mind subject
To dally much with subject mean and lowProves that the mind is weak, or makes it so.
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.
both equals fame milton rome sound thy
Greece, sound thy Homer's, Rome thy Virgil's name, / But England's Milton equals both in fame.
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.
crown fire intimate king thee
I crown thee king of intimate delights,Fire-side enjoyments, home-born happiness.
man strive
But strive still to be a man before your mother.
beast gone laid
But the sea-fowl has gone to her nest, / The beast is laid down in his lair.
chase hunt start syllable time
Philologists who chase / A panting syllable through time and space, / Start it at home, and hunt it in the dark, / To Gaul, to Greece, and into Noah's ark.
alone carry choose lesson marry misses proper relate seems tale time
Misses the tale that I relate - This lesson seems to carry - Choose not alone a proper mate, But proper time to marry
enemies kindred mountains
Mountains interposed / Make enemies of nations, who had else, / Like kindred drops, been mingled into one.