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
changes god knows length shadow slow
Oh! let me then at length be taughtWhat I am still so slow to learn;That God is love, and changes not,Nor knows the shadow of a turn.
dread drink endless evil god good spring thou
Thou god of our idolatry, the press. . . .Thou fountain, at which drink the good and wise;Thou ever-bubbling spring of endless lies;Like Eden's dread probationary tree,Knowledge of good and evil is from thee.
busy dreams frames god himself works
The busy trifler dreams himself alone, / Frames many a purpose, and God works his own.
blood church dear dying god lose precious shall sin thy
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its powerTill all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
god country men
God made the country, and man made the town.
god art crowns
But, oh, Thou bounteous Giver of all good, Thou art, of all Thy gifts, Thyself thy crown!
god men shining
God never meant that man should scale the Heavens By strides of human wisdom. In his works, Though wondrous, he commands us in his word To seek him rather where his mercy shines.
blind god-works-in-mysterious-ways vain
Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain.
god heart men
Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will.
ask birds jacques jean shall
I shall not ask Jean Jacques Rousseau - If birds confabulate or no
came haste soon
And up he got, in haste to ride, / But soon came down again.
breed errors faults life
Faults in the life breed errors in the brain,And these, reciprocally, those again.
blood perish rome shall word
Rome shall perish - write that word / In the blood that she has spilt.
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.