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William Cowper
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William Cowper, detail of an oil painting by Lemuel Abbott, 1792; in the National Portrait Gallery, London William Cowper.
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William Cowper, detail of an oil painting by Lemuel Abbott, 1792; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
William Cowper summary
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Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry
A Study of Poetry
4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul
Famous Poets and Poetic Form
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:
Poetry: First Lines
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William Cowper, detail of an oil painting by Lemuel Abbott, 1792; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
William Cowper, detail of an oil painting by Lemuel Abbott, 1792; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

William Cowper

British poet
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

William Cowper (born November 26, 1731, Great Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England—died April 25, 1800, East Dereham, Norfolk) was one of the most widely read English poets of his day, whose most characteristic work, as in The Task or the melodious short lyric “The Poplar Trees,” brought a new directness to 18th-century nature poetry. Cowper wrote of the joys and sorrows of everyday life and was content to describe the minutiae of the countryside. In his sympathy...

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