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William Cowper (/ ˈ k uː p ər / KOO-pər; 15 November 1731 [2] / 26 November 1731 – 14 April 1800 [2] / 25 April 1800 ()) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter.. 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.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 5 December 2024. There is 1 pending revision awaiting review. English poet and author (c. 1340s – 1400) "Chaucer" redirects here. For other uses, see Chaucer (disambiguation). Geoffrey Chaucer Manuscript portrait, 1412 Born c. 1343 London, England Died 25 October 1400 (1400-10-25) (aged 56–57) London ...
The dating of the poems' composition has been tied to the dating of Donne's conversion to Anglicanism. His first biographer, Izaak Walton, claimed the poems dated from the time of Donne's ministry (he became a priest in 1615); modern scholarship agrees that the poems date from 1609 to 1610, the same period during which he wrote an anti-Catholic polemic, Pseudo-Martyr.
[1] [2] [3] It is an effort to rationalize or rather "vindicate the ways of God to man" (l.16), a variation of John Milton's claim in the opening lines of Paradise Lost, that he will "justifie the wayes of God to men" (1.26). [4] It is concerned with the natural order God has decreed for man.
The poem details how men feel a need to seek truth like a philosopher while also desiring to simply live in an idyllic natural state. The poem reconciles these desires by claiming that the pursuer of truth can still reflect back on his time when he was simply enjoying nature and God's presence. [25]
The poem was a literary sensation when published by Robert Dodsley in February 1751 (see 1751 in poetry). Its reflective, calm, and stoic tone was greatly admired, and it was pirated, imitated, quoted, and translated into Latin and Greek. It is still one of the most popular and frequently quoted poems in the English language. [25]
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For example, a poet might call the sea the "swan's riding"; a king might be called a "ring-giver". The poem contains many kennings, and the device is typical of much of classic poetry in Old English, which is heavily formulaic. The poem, too, makes extensive use of elided metaphors. [153]