The Traveller

poem by Goldsmith

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July 14, 2026

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The Traveller is a philosophical poem by Oliver Goldsmith, first published in 1764. The poem is narrated by a restless wanderer who compares the different cultures and levels of happiness found in Western Europe. Despite his travels, the narrator's heart yearns for his native land. The poem reflects Goldsmith's own experiences traveling through Europe and his political ideas. It is considered one of his major poetic works, alongside The Deserted Village.12

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Oliver Goldsmith
Life
…reputation as a poet with The Traveller, the first work to which he put his name. It embodied both his memories of tramping through Europe and his political ideas. In 1770 he confirmed that reputation with the more famous Deserted Village, which contains charming vignettes of rural life while denouncing…
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…reputation as a poet with The Traveller, the first work to which he put his name. It embodied both his memories of tramping through Europe and his political ideas. In 1770 he confirmed that reputation with the more famous Deserted Village, which contains charming vignettes of rural life while denouncing…
Read More

English literature
Goldsmith
…a poet rested chiefly on The Traveller (1764), The Deserted Village (1770), and the incomplete Retaliation (1774). The last, published 15 days after his own death, is a dazzling series of character portraits in the form of mock epitaphs on a group of his closest acquaintances. The Traveller, a philosophical…
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…a poet rested chiefly on The Traveller (1764), The Deserted Village (1770), and the incomplete Retaliation (1774). The last, published 15 days after his own death, is a dazzling series of character portraits in the form of mock epitaphs on a group of his closest acquaintances. The Traveller, a philosophical…
Read More