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
lying sick solitude
Solitude, seeming a sanctuary, proves a grave; a sepulchre in which the living lie, where all good qualities grow sick and die
genius substitutes authorship
Manner is all in all, whate'er is writ,The substitute for genius, sense, and wit.
enthusiasm half world
No wild enthusiast could rest, till half the world like him was possessed.
rain flower fall
The man to solitude accustom'd long, Perceives in everything that lives a tongue; Not animals alone, but shrubs and trees Have speech for him, and understood with ease, After long drought when rains abundant fall, He hears the herbs and flowers rejoicing all.
sweet prayer feet
Trials make the promise sweet, Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to His feet, Lay me low, and keep me there.
names fascination surrender
Some to the fascination of a name, Surrender judgment hoodwinked.
tears may littles
And the tear that is wiped with a little address, May be follow'd perhaps by a smile.
simplicity ecstasy warm
Elegant as simplicity, and warm As ecstasy.
loss light well-known
For 'tis a truth well known to most, That whatsoever thing is lost, We seek it, ere it comes to light, In every cranny but the right.
anniversary wife friendship-love
What is there in the vale of lifeHalf so delightful as a wife;When friendship, love and peace combineTo stamp the marriage-bond divine?
enemy mountain kindred
Mountains interposed Make enemies of nations, who had else Like kindred drops been mingled into one.
views world fifty
He that has seen both sides of fifty has lived to little purpose if he has no other views of the world than he had when he was much younger.
illustration your-side giving
A story, in which native humour reigns, Is often useful, always entertains; A graver fact, enlisted on your side, May furnish illustration, well applied; But sedentary weavers of long tales Give me the fidgets, and my patience fails.
sympathy music soul
There is in souls a sympathy with sounds.