On Flaxmans Penelope.

The suitors sinnd, but with a fair excuse,
Whom all this elegance might well seduce;
Nor can our censure on the husband fall,
Who, for a wife so lovely, slew them all.

William Cowper

William Cowper was an English poet and hymnodist known for his contributions to English literature and the Evangelical revival of the 18th century. He suffered from periods of severe depression and mental illness, which influenced much of his work. Despite his struggles, Cowper produced notable works including 'Olney Hymns' in collaboration with John Newton and 'The Task,' which gained considerable popularity. His poetry is often characterized by its introspective, religious, and sometimes melancholic themes.

William Cowper

On the Fifth of November. Anno Aetates 17.

William Cowper, Simple Poetry

The Contrite Heart. - Isaiah lvii.15.

William Cowper, Simple Poetry

I Will Praise The Lord At All Times.

William Cowper, Simple Poetry

Jehovah-Nissi. The Lord My Banner. - Exodus xvii.15.

William Cowper, Simple Poetry

English

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Mutual Forbearance Necessary To The Happiness Of The Married State.

The lady thus addressd her spouse
What a mere dungeon is this house!
By no means large enough; and was it,
Yet this dull room, and that dark closet,
Those hangings with their worn-out graces,
Long beards, long noses, and pale faces,
Are such an antiquated scene,
They overwhelm me with the spleen.
Sir Humphrey, shooting in the dark,
Makes answer quite beside the mark:
No doubt, my dear, I bade him come,
Engaged myself to be at home,
And shall expect him at the door
Precisely when the clock strikes four.
You are so deaf, the lady cried
(And raised her voice, and frownd beside),
You are so sadly deaf, my dear,
What shall I do to make you hear?
Dismiss poor Harry! he replies;
Some people are more nice than wise:
For one slight trespass all t...

William Cowper

To Mrs. King, On Her Kind Present To The Author, A Patchwork Counterpane Of Her Own Making.

The bard, if eer he feel at all,
Must sure be quickend by a call
Both on his heart and head,
To pay with tuneful thanks the care
And kindness of a lady fair,
Who deigns to deck his bed.


A bed like this, in ancient time,
On Idas barren top sublime
(As Homers epic shows),
Composed of sweetest vernal flowers,
Without the aid of sun or showers,
For Jove and Juno rose.


Less beautiful, however gay,
Is that which in the scorching day
Receives the weary swain,
Who, laying his long scythe aside,
Sleeps on some bank with daisies pied,
Till roused to toil again.


What labours of the loom I see!
Looms numberless have groand for me!
Should every maiden come
To scramble for the patch that bears
The impres...

William Cowper

On A Mistake In His Translation Of Homer.

Cowper had sinnd with some excuse,
If, bound in rhyming tethers,
He had committed this abuse
Of changing ewes for wethers;^[1]


But, male for female is a trope,
Or rather bold misnomer,
That would have startled even Pope,
When he translated Homer.

William Cowper

Lines Addressed To Miss Theodora Jane Cowper.

William was once a bashful youth,
His modesty was such,
That one might say, to say the truth,
He rather had too much.


Some said that it was want of sense,
And others, want of spirit
(So blest a thing is impudence),
While others could not bear it.


But some a different notion had,
And, at each other winking,
Observed that though he little said,
He paid it off with thinking.


Howeer, it happend, by degrees,
He mended, and grew perter,
In company was more at ease,
And dressd a little smarter;


Nay, now and then, could look quite gay,
As other people do;
And sometimes said, or tried to say,
A witty thing or so.


He eyed the women, and made free
To comment on their shapes,
So t...

William Cowper

The Judgment Of The Poets.

Two nymphs, both nearly of an age,
Of numerous charms possessd,
A warm dispute once chanced to wage,
Whose temper was the best.


The worth of each had been complete,
Had both alike been mild:
But one, although her smile was sweet,
Frownd oftener than she smiled.


And in her humour, when she frownd,
Would raise her voice, and roar,
And shake with fury to the ground
The garland that she wore.


The other was of gentler cast,
From all such frenzy clear,
Her frowns were seldom known to last,
And never proved severe.


To poets of renown in song
The nymphs referrd the cause,
Who, strange to tell, all judgd it wrong,
And gave misplaced applause.


They gentle calld, and kind and soft,

William Cowper

Cowpers Reply.

To be rememberd thus is fame,
And in the first degree;
And did the few, like her, the same,
The press might rest for me.


So Homer, in the memry stored
Of many a Grecian belle,
Was once preserveda richer hoard,
But never lodged so well.

William Cowper

On Flaxmans Penelope.

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On Flaxmans Penelope.