The Scholar Gipsy
The Scholar Gipsy, lyric poem by Matthew Arnold, published in Poems (1853). It is a masterful handling of the 10-line stanza that John Keats used in many of his odes. The poem’s subject is a legendary Oxford scholar who gives up his academic life to roam the world with a band of Gypsies, absorbing their customs and seeking the source of their wisdom. The poem is filled with vivid descriptions of the countryside around Oxford.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Citation Information
Article Title:
The Scholar Gipsy
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
17 August 2017
Access Date:
November 14, 2026