William Cowper ( ; – 25 April 1800) was an English

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

hymnwriter A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditional ...

. 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 Romantic poetry is the poetry of the Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. It involved a reaction against prevailing Neoclassical ideas of the 18th c ...

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge ( ; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth ...

called him "the best modern poet", whilst

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

particularly admired his poem "Yardley-Oak". After being institutionalised for insanity, Cowper found refuge in a fervent

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christianity. He continued to suffer doubt about his salvation and, after a dream in 1773, believed that he was doomed to eternal damnation. He recovered, and went on to write more religious hymns. His religious sentiment and association with

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery Abolitionism, abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Nav ...

(who wrote the hymn "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn written in 1772 and published in 1779 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is possibly the most sung and most recorded hymn in the world, and especially popular in the Unit ...

") led to much of the poetry for which he is best remembered, and to the series of

Olney Hymns The ''Olney Hymns'' were first published in February 1779 and are the combined work of curate John Newton (1725–1807) and his poet friend William Cowper (1731–1800). The hymns were written for use in Newton's rural parish, which was made u ...

. His poem " Light Shining out of Darkness" gave English the phrase: "God moves in a mysterious way/ His wonders to perform." He also wrote a number of anti-slavery poems, and his friendship with Newton, who was an avid anti-slavery campaigner, resulted in Cowper's being asked to write in support of the Abolitionist campaign. Cowper wrote a poem called "

The Negro's Complaint ''The Negro's Complaint'' is a poem by William Cowper, which talks about slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location ...

" (1788) which rapidly became very famous, and was often quoted by

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

during the 20th-century civil rights movement. He also wrote several other less well-known poems on slavery in the 1780s, many of which attacked the idea that slavery was economically viable.

Early life

Cowper was born in

Berkhamsted Berkhamsted ( ) is a historic market town in Hertfordshire, England, in the River Bulbourne, Bulbourne valley, north-west of London. The town is a Civil parishes in England, civil parish with a town council within the borough of Dacorum which ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, where his father John Cowper was rector of the

Church of St Peter Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

. His father's sister was the poet

Judith Madan Judith Madan (; 26 August 1702 – 7 December 1781) was an English poet. She was the granddaughter of the diarist Sarah Cowper and aunt of the poet William Cowper. She was a correspondent, admirer and protégé of Alexander Pope prior to he ...

. His mother was Ann née Donne. He and his brother John were the only two of seven children to live past infancy. Ann died giving birth to John on 7 November 1737. His mother's death at such an early age troubled William deeply and was the subject of his poem "

On the Receipt of My Mother's Picture "On the Receipt of My Mother's Picture", also known as "On the Receipt of My Mother's Picture Out of Norfolk", is a 1798 poem by English poet William Cowper, which he wrote because of a love for his mother. History Cowper's mother, Ann, died wh ...

", written more than fifty years later. He grew close to her family in his early years. He was particularly close with her brother Robert and his wife Harriot. They instilled in young William a love of reading and gave him some of his first books –

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; 1628 – 31 August 1688) was an English writer and preacher. He is best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', which also became an influential literary model. In addition to ''The Pilgrim' ...

's ''

Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant devotional literature and of wider early moder ...

'' and

John Gay John Gay (30 June 1685 – 4 December 1732) was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1728), a ballad opera. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peach ...

's ''Fables.'' Cowper was first enrolled in

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in April 1742 after moving from school to school for a number of years. He had begun to study

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

at a young age, and was an eager scholar of Latin for the rest of his life. Older children bullied Cowper through many of his younger years. At Westminster School he studied under the headmaster John Nicoll. At the time, Westminster School was popular amongst families belonging to England's Whig political party. Many intelligent boys from families of a lower social status also attended, however. Cowper made lifelong friends from Westminster. He read through the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

'' and the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'', which ignited his lifelong scholarship and love for

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's epics. He grew skilled at the interpretation and translation of Latin, an ability he put to use for the rest of his life. He was skilled in the composition of Latin as well and wrote many verses of his own.

Career

After education at Westminster School, Cowper was articled to Mr Chapman, solicitor, of

Ely Place Ely Place is a gated road of multi-storey terraces at the southern tip of the London Borough of Camden in London, England. It hosts a 1773-rebuilt public house, Ye Olde Mitre, of Tudor origin and is adjacent to Hatton Garden. It is privat ...

Holborn Holborn ( or ), an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part (St Andrew Holborn (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon Without i ...

, to be trained for a career in law. During this time, he spent his leisure at the home of his uncle Bob Cowper, where he fell in love with his cousin Theodora, whom he wished to marry. But as James Croft, who in 1825 first published the poems Cowper addressed to Theodora, wrote, "her father, from an idea that the union of persons so nearly related was improper, refused to accede to the wishes of his daughter and nephew". This refusal left Cowper distraught. He had his first severe attack of depression/

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

, referred to at the time as melancholy. In 1763 he was offered a Clerkship of Journals in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, but broke under the strain of the approaching examination; he experienced a worse period of depression and

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

. At this time he tried three times to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

and was sent to Nathaniel Cotton's asylum at

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

for recovery. His poem beginning "Hatred and vengeance, my eternal portion" (sometimes referred to as "Sapphics") was written in the aftermath of his suicide attempt. After recovering, he settled at

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

with a retired clergyman named Morley Unwin and his wife

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

. Cowper grew to be on such good terms with the Unwin family that he went to live in their house, and moved with them to Olney. There he met

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

, a former captain of slave ships who had devoted his life to the Christian gospel. Not long afterwards, Morley Unwin was killed in a fall from his horse; Cowper continued to live in the Unwin home and became greatly attached to the widow

Mary Unwin Mary Unwin (1724–1796) was a British woman, notable as a friend of William Cowper, one of the most popular poets of their day. Life Mary Unwin was the daughter of William Cawthorne, a draper of Ely, who was born in that city in 1724. Hayley ...

. At Olney, Newton invited Cowper to contribute to a

hymnbook A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christi ...

that he was compiling. The resulting volume, known as ''Olney Hymns,'' was not published until 1779 but includes hymns such as "Praise for the Fountain Opened" (beginning " There is a fountain fill'd with blood") and "Light Shining out of Darkness" (beginning " God Moves in a Mysterious Way"), which remain some of Cowper's most familiar verses. Several of Cowper's hymns, as well as others originally published in the ''Olney Hymns,'' are today preserved in the ''

Sacred Harp Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music which developed in New England and perpetuated in the American South. The name is derived from ''The Sacred Harp'', a historically important shape notes, shape-note tunebook printed in ...

,'' which also collects

shape note Shape notes are a musical notation designed to facilitate congregational and Sing-along, social singing. The notation became a popular teaching device in American singing schools during the 19th century. Shapes were added to the noteheads in ...

songs. In 1773, Cowper experienced an attack of insanity, imagining not only that he was eternally condemned to

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

, but that God was commanding him to make a sacrifice of his own life. Mary Unwin took care of him with great devotion, and after a year he began to recover. In 1779, after Newton had moved from Olney to London, Cowper started to write poetry again. Mary Unwin, wanting to keep Cowper's mind occupied, suggested that he write on the subject of ''The Progress of Error.'' After writing a satire of this name, he wrote seven others. These poems were collected and published in 1782 under the title ''Poems by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple, Esq.'' In 1781 Cowper met a sophisticated and charming widow named Lady Austen who inspired new poetry. Cowper himself tells of the genesis of what some have considered his most substantial work, '' The Task,'' in his "Advertisement" to the original edition of 1785:

...a lady, fond of
blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metre (poetry), metrical but rhyme, unrhymed lines, usually in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th cen ...
, demanded a poem of that kind from the author, and gave him the SOFA for a subject. He obeyed; and, having much leisure, connected another subject with it; and, pursuing the train of thought to which his situation and turn of mind led him, brought forth at length, instead of the trifle which he at first intended, a serious affaira Volume!

In the same volume Cowper also printed "

The Diverting History of John Gilpin ''The Diverting History of John Gilpin Shewing how he went Farther than he intended, and came safe Home again'' is a comic ballad by William Cowper written in 1782. The ballad concerns a draper called John Gilpin who rides a runaway horse. Cow ...

", a notable piece of comic verse.

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...

, in ''Orthodoxy'', later credited the writing of "John Gilpin" with saving Cowper from becoming completely insane. Harriett Hesketh born Cowper

Cowper and Mary Unwin moved to

Weston Underwood, Buckinghamshire Weston Underwood is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about a mile west of Olney. The village name 'Weston' is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'weste ...

, in 1786, having become close to his cousin

Harriett Hesketh Harriett or Harriet Hesketh or Harriett Cowper (1733 – 5 January 1807) was an English letter writer, known for her long correspondence with William Cowper, which was the basis for his biography. Life Harriett Cowper was baptised in Hertingford ...

(Theodora's sister). During this period he started his translations of

's ''

'' and ''

'' into

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metre (poetry), metrical but rhyme, unrhymed lines, usually in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th cen ...

. His versions (published in 1791) were the most significant English renderings of these

epic poems Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

since those of

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

earlier in the century. Later critics have faulted Cowper's Homer for being too much in the mould of

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

. In 1789 Cowper befriended a cousin, Dr John Johnson, a Norfolk clergyman, and in 1795 Cowper and Mary moved to

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

to be near him and his sister Catharine. They originally stayed at North Tuddenham, then at Dunham Lodge near

Swaffham Swaffham () is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District and England, English county of Norfolk. It is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of and in the U ...

and then

Mundesley Mundesley /ˈmʌn.dzli/ is a coastal village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is north-northeast of Norwich, southeast of Cromer and north-northeast of the town of North Walsham. The nearest airport is Norw ...

before finally settling in

East Dereham Dereham (), also known historically as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about west of the city of Norwich and east of King's Lynn. The civi ...

(all places in

) with the Johnsons, after Mary Unwin became paralysed. Mary Unwin died in 1796, plunging Cowper into a gloom from which he never fully recovered. He did continue to revise his Homer for a second edition of his translation. Aside from writing the powerful and bleak poem "The Castaway", he penned some English translations of Greek verse and translated some of the ''Fables'' of

into Latin.

Death and memorials

Cowper was seized with

edema Edema (American English), also spelled oedema (British English), and also known as fluid retention, swelling, dropsy and hydropsy, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. S ...

, or dropsy, in the spring of 1800 and died on 25 April. He is buried in the chapel of

St Thomas of Canterbury Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury fr ...

, St Nicholas's Church in East Dereham, and a

stained-glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window there commemorates his life. In St Peter's Church in

there are two windows in memory of Cowper: The east window by

Clayton & Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832� ...

(1872) depicts Cowper at his writing desk accompanied by his pet hares, and bears the inscription "Salvation to the dying man, And to the rising God" (a line from Cowper's poem "The Saviour, what a noble flame"); and in the north aisle, an

etched glass Glass etching, or "French embossing", is a popular technique developed during the mid-1800s that is still widely used in both residential and commercial spaces today. Glass etching comprises the techniques of creating art on the surface of glass ...

window is inscribed with lines from "Oh! for a closer walk with God" and "The Task". In the same church there is also a memorial tablet to the poet's mother, Ann Cowper. Cowper is also commemorated (along with

George Herbert George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was an English poet, orator, and priest of the Church of England. His poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognised as "one of the foremost British devotio ...

) by another Clayton & Bell stained-glass window in St George's Chapel,

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. In 1823, Cowper's correspondence was published posthumously from the original letters in the possession of his kinsman John Johnson. Near the village of

, where Cowper once resided, is a

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

named Cowper's Alcove. The folly was built by the Lord of the Manor of Weston House, a member of the Throckmorton family in 1753. Cowper was known to visit there frequently for inspiration for his poetry. The alcove is mentioned in Cowper's "The Task". The folly was dedicated to Cowper by the Buckinghamshire county council green belt estate, and a plaque with the verse from "The Task" referencing the alcove was installed.

Queerness

Modern literary scholar Conrad Brunstrom described Cowper's relationships with women and men at this time as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

and radically anti-

heteronormative Heteronormativity is the definition of heterosexuality as the normative human sexuality. It assumes the gender binary (i.e., that there are only two distinct, opposite genders) and that sexual and marital relations are most fitting between peo ...

. "Not only did Cowper refuse a traditional heterosexual role, he also refused many of the attributes attached to those who were supposed to have refused such a role...making him anti-heteronormative and anti- homonormative at one and the same time." Cowper's 18th century understanding of his own predicament was that—being "what the world calls an old bachelor"—he was nevertheless "a rational creature", much abused by those who would make sport of him.

Selected works

Poems

The Snail
(1770)
The Winter Nosegay
(1777) * ''

'' (1778–1779; in collaboration with

) * ''

John Gilpin John Gilpin was featured as the subject in a well-known comic ballad of 1782 by William Cowper, entitled '' The Diverting History of John Gilpin''. Cowper had heard the story from his friend Lady Austen. Gilpin was said to be a wealthy drap ...

'' (1782)
Epitaph on a Hare
(1782)
''Poems by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple, Esq.''
(1782; Cowper's First Independent Volume)

(1783) * '' The Task'' (1785)
The Morning Dream
(1788) *

's ''

'' and ''

'' (1791; translations from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

)
The Retired Cat
(1791)

(1793)
The Castaway
(1803)
The Poplar-Field
(1785)
''Lines Written During a Period of Insanity''
(1816) References:''Selected Works of William Cowper''

https://www.poetryfoundation.org
https://mypoeticside.com
https://poetryprof.com

Translations

William Cowper translated Homer's two epic poems: "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". His translations of these ancient Greek classics are considered significant contributions to English literature. Cowper's translations of Homer were part of a broader movement in the 18th and 19th centuries to make classical literature more accessible to English-speaking audiences. While his translations may not be as widely read today as some others, they were influential in their time and contributed to the ongoing appreciation of Homer's works in English-speaking countries.

Hymns

William Cowper is represented with fifteen hymns in Edwin F. Hatfield's 1872

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

opus ''The Church Hymn Book for the Worship of God''.Edwin Francis Hatfield (1807–1883)
/ref>
127 ''Jesus! where'er thy people meet''

357 ''The Spirit breathes upon the word''

450 ''There is a fountain, filled with blood''

790 ''Hark! my soul! it is the Lord''

856 ''To Jesus, the Crown of my hope''

871 ''Far from the world, O Lord! I flee''

885 ''My Lord! how full of sweet content''

932 ''What various hindrances we meet''

945 ''Oh! for a closer walk with God'

965 ''When darkness long has veiled my mind''

1002 '' 'Tis my happiness below''

1009 ''O Lord! in sorrow I resign''

1029 ''O Lord! my best desire fulfill''

1060 ''God of my life! to thee I call''
References:
https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/william-cowper
https://hymnary.org/person/Cowper_W
https://www.hymnal.net/en/home

Familiar quotations

moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. : There is a fountain fill'd with blood Drawn from 's veins; And sinners, plung'd beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains. : Oh! for a closer walk with , A calm and heav'nly frame; A light to shine upon the road That leads me to the Lamb! : God made the country, and man made the town. : There is a pleasure in poetic pains
Which only poets know. : Variety's the very spice of life,
That gives it all its flavour. : I am monarch of all I survey, My right there is none to dispute; From the centre all round to the sea, I am lord of the fowl and the brute. : No voice divine the storm allay'd, No light propitious shone; When, snatch'd from all effectual aid, We perish'd, each alone; But I beneath a rougher sea, And whelmed in deeper gulphs than he. : 'Tis pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat, To peep at such a world; to see the stir Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd; To hear the roar she sends through all her gates At a safe distance, where the dying sound Falls a soft murmur on the uninjur'd ear. :

References

Bibliography

* ''The Church Hymn Book for the Worship of God'', 1872, edited by Edwin F. Hatfield. New York and Chicago.

Sources

* Harold Child, "William Cowper", in Ward & Trent, ''et al.'' ''The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.'' New York: GP Putnam's Sons, 1907–21. As given a
Bartleby.com
(Some biographical data utilised.) * H. S. Milford
''The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper''
London: Oxford University Press, 1913. ("Chronological Table" on pp. xxiv–xxx heavily utilised for biographical data.)

CCEL The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) is a digital library that provides free electronic copies of Christian scripture and literature texts. Description CCEL is a volunteer-based project founded and directed by Harry Plantinga, a pr ...

*
Selected Poems at The Poets' Corner

Electronic text of Cowper's "Odyssey" translation at bibliomania.com
* Audio
Robert Pinsky reads "Epitaph On A Hare"
by William Cowper (vi
poemsoutloud.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowper, William 1731 births 1800 deaths 18th-century Anglicans 18th-century English letter writers 18th-century evangelicals 18th-century hymnwriters Anglican writers Burials in Norfolk Calvinist and Reformed hymnwriters Calvinist and Reformed poets Church of England hymnwriters Deaths from edema English abolitionists English Anglicans English Evangelical writers English male poets Evangelical Anglicans Evangelical Anglican hymnwriters History of mental health in the United Kingdom Musicians from Hertfordshire People educated at Westminster School, London People from Berkhamsted People from Dereham People with mental disorders Translators of Homer Christian abolitionists

Early life

Career

Death and memorials

Queerness

Selected works

Poems

Translations

Hymns

Familiar quotations

See also

References

Bibliography

Sources

Further reading

External links