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William Cowper Quotes - Page 8

All Quotes Age Art Children Church Country Death Earth Evil Friendship Gardening Giving God Grace Happiness Heart Heaven Home Humanity Inspirational Joy Judging Judgment Kissing Knowledge Liberty Life Loss Love Lying Manners Mercy Music Nature Pain Pleasure Poetry Poverty Prayer Preaching Pride Purpose Reading Religion Retirement Running Sin Skins Slavery Solitude Son Soul Sports Spring Time Truth Virtue War Water Weed Winter Wisdom Wit

A story, in which native humour reigns, Is often useful, always entertains; A graver fact, enlisted on your side, May furnish illustration, well applied; But sedentary weavers of long tales Give me the fidgets, and my

A story, in which native humour reigns, Is often useful, always entertains; A graver fact, enlisted on your side, May furnish illustration, well applied; But sedentary weavers of long tales Give me the fidgets, and my patience fails.

Illustration, Your Side, Long

William Cowper (1855). “The complete poetical works of William Cowper, with life and critical notice of his writings”, p.86

Acquaint thyself with God, if thou would'st taste His works. Admitted once to his embrace, Thou shalt perceive that thou was blind before: Thine eye shall be instructed; and thine heart Made pure shall relish with divine delight Till then unfelt, what hands divine have wrought.

Eye, Hands, Blind

William Cowper, “The Task: Book V. -- The Winter Morning Walk”

With spots quadrangular of diamond form, ensanguined hearts, clubs typical of strife, and spades, the emblems of untimely graves.

Heart, Gambling, Typical

William Cowper, Robert Southey, William Harvey (1835). “The Works of William Cowper: Comprising His Poems, Correspondence, and Translations. With a Life of the Author”, p.42

Th' embroid'ry of poetic dreams.

Dream, Poetic

William Cowper (1837). “Poems; to which is prefixed a memoir of the author by J. M'Diarmid”, p.156

Religion! what treasure untold resides in that heavenly word!

Religion, Treasure, Heavenly

William Cowper, Robert Southey, William Harvey (1835). “The Works of William Cowper: Comprising His Poems, Correspondence, and Translations. With a Life of the Author”, p.181

That good diffused may more abundant grow.

May, Goodness, Grows

William Cowper (1853). “The Poetical Works of William Cowper: With Life ; Six Engravings on Steel”, p.90

The Frenchman, easy, debonair, and brisk, Give him his lass, his fiddle, and his frisk, Is always happy, reign whoever may, And laughs the sense of mis'ry far away.

Giving, Laughing, May

William Cowper (1866). “The Poetical Works of William Cowper”, p.26

If hindrances obstruct the way, Thy magnanimity display. And let thy strength be seen: But O, if Fortune fill thy sail With more than a propitious gale, Take half thy canvas in.

Half, Way, Gale

William Cowper (1874). “The poetical works of William Cowper, ed: with notes and biographical introd. by William Benham”, p.171

Domestic happiness, thou only bliss Of paradise that has surviv'd the fall!

Relationship, Happiness, Fall

William Cowper (1814). “Poems”, p.89

Is base in kind, and born to be a slave.

Kindness, Slave, Born

William Cowper (1819). “Poems, etc”, p.2

Lights of the world, and stars of human race.

Stars, Light, Race

William Cowper, Robert Southey (1835). “The Works of William Cowper, Comprising His Poems, Correspondence, and Translations”, p.32

Toil for the brave! The brave that are no more.

Bravery, Brave, Toil

'On the Loss of the Royal George' (written 1782)

Me howling blasts drive devious, tempest-tossed, / Sails ripped, seams opening wide, and compass lost.

Compassion, Tempest, Lost

William Cowper (1866). “The Poetical Works of William Cowper”, p.405

Ever let the Fancy roam, Pleasure never is at home.

Home, Imagination, Fancy

Ages elapsed ere Homer's lamp appear'd, And ages ere the Mantuan swan was heard: To carry nature lengths unknown before, To give a Milton birth, ask'd ages more.

Swans, Giving, Age

William Cowper, Henry Stebbing, Giovanni Battista Andreini (1854). “The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper, Esq: Including the Hymns and Translations from Madame Guion, Milton, Etc., and Adam; a Sacred Drama”, p.40

Unmissed but by his dogs and by his groom.

Friendship, Dog

William Cowper, Robert Southey (1835). “The Works of William Cowper, Comprising His Poems, Correspondence, and Translations”, p.32

Man in society is like a flow'r, Blown in its native bed. 'Tis there alone His faculties expanded in full bloom Shine out, there only reach their proper use.

Men, Shining, Society

William Cowper, John MACDIARMID (Editor of the “Dumfries and Galloway Courier.”.) (1819). “Poems ... To which is prefixed, a memoir of the author; also, critical remarks on his poems, written expressly for this work. By John M'Diarmid. Second edition, revised and extended”, p.298

They love the country, and none else, who seek For their own sake its silence and its shade. Delights which who would leave, that has a heart Susceptible of pity, or a mind Cultured and capable of sober thought.

Country, Heart, Silence

William Cowper, James Thomson (1832). “The Works of Cowper and Thompson: Including Many Letters and Poems Never Before Published in this Country. With a New and Interesting Memoir of the Life of Thomson”, p.73

In the vast, and the minute, we see The unambiguous footsteps of the God, Who gives its lustre to an insect's wing And wheels His throne upon the rolling worlds.

Wings, Giving, Rolling

William Cowper (1855). “The Works of William Cowper: His Life, Letters, and Poems : Now First Completed by the Introduction of Cowper's Private Correspondence”, p.594

The slaves of custom and established mode, With pack-horse constancy we keep the road Crooked or straight, through quags or thorny dells, True to the jingling of our leader's bells.

Horse, Leader, Bells

William Cowper (1785). “Poetical Works: With Notes and a Memoir”, p.207

Fancy, like the finger of a clock, Runs the great circuit, and is still at home.

Running, Home, Fancy

William Cowper, Henry Stebbing (1869). “The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper, Esq: Including the Hymns and Translations from Madame Guion, Milton, Etc. ; with a Memoir of the Author”, p.234

Where thou art gone, adieus and farewells are a sound unknown.

Art, Farewell, Sound

William Cowper, Robert Southey (1849). “The Complete Poetical Works of William Cowper ...: Including the Copyright Poems, with a Life of the Author”, p.484

Come, evening, once again, season of peace; Return, sweet evening, and continue long! Methinks I see thee in the streaky west, With matron step, slow moving, while the night Treads on thy sweeping train; one hand employ'd In letting fall the curtain of repose On bird and beast, the other charged for man With sweet oblivion of the cares of day.

Sweet, Moving, Fall

William Cowper, James Montgomery (1859). “Poems ... With an introductory essay by James Montgomery. [With plates.]”, p.215

Anticipated rents, and bills unpaid, Force many a shining youth into the shade, Not to redeem his time, but his estate, And play the fool, but at the cheaper rate.

Play, Shining, Debt

William Cowper (1830). “Poems ... With a sketch of his life and a vindication of his religious principles and character. Third edition, corrected and enlarged. [With a portrait.]”, p.145

The spleen is seldom felt where Flora reigns; The low'ring eye, the petulance, the frown, And sullen sadness, that o'ershade, distort, And mar the face of beauty, when no cause For such immeasurable woe appears; These Flora banishes, and gives the fair Sweet smiles, and bloom less transient than her own.

Sweet, Sadness, Eye

William Cowper, James Sambrook (2016). “William Cowper: The Task and Selected Other Poems”, p.72, Routledge

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