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Alexander Pope
21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744
Poetry Listing
Please Note: This list is not comprehensive, but is an ongoing work of the love of poetry.
Within this area you will be able to read, and give your thoughts on the poetry listed.
Please, if you find an error, let me know.
Read More About Alexander Pope below poetry list
| | Poem Title | First Lines | Period | # Lines | # Reads | | 1: | A Dialogue. | Since my old friend is grown so great, | | 8 | 444 | | 2: | A Farewell To London | Dear, damn'd, distracting town, farewell! | | 52 | 646 | | 3: | A Fragment Of A Poem. | O Wretched B----, jealous now of all, | 1740 | 100 | 389 | | 4: | A Fragment. | What are the falling rills, the pendant shades, | | 8 | 402 | | 5: | A Prologue - To A Play For Mr Dennis's Benefit, In 1733, When He Was Old, Blind, And In Great Distress, A Little Before His Death. | As when that hero, who, in each campaign, | | 24 | 349 | | 6: | An Essay On Criticism | Tis hard to say if greater want of skill | | | 1147 | | 7: | An Essay On Man: Epistle I. | Awake, my St John! leave all meaner things | | 334 | 441 | | 8: | An Essay On Man: Epistle II. | I. know then thyself, presume not God to scan; | | 367 | 446 | | 9: | An Essay On Man: Epistle III. | Here then we rest: 'The Universal Cause | | 348 | 355 | | 10: | An Essay On Man: Epistle IV. | O Happiness! our being's end and aim! | | 456 | 347 | | 11: | Answer To The Following Question Of Mrs Howe. | Tis a bledam, | | 11 | 376 | | 12: | Argus | When wise Ulysses, from his native coast | | | 928 | | 13: | Argus. | When wise Ulysses, from his native coast | | 18 | 410 | | 14: | Autumn - The Third Pastoral, Or Hylas And Ægon | Beneath the shade a spreading Beech displays, | | | 1197 | | 15: | Book I. Epistle VII. | Tis true, my lord, I gave my word, | | 85 | 319 | | 16: | Book II. Satire VI. The First Part Imitated In The Year 1714, By Dr Swift; The Latter Part Added Afterwards. | I've often wish'd that I had clear, | | 221 | 386 | | 17: | Book IV. Ode I. To Venus. | Again? new tumults in my breast? | | 48 | 385 | | 18: | Celia | Celia, we know, is sixty-five, | | | 912 | | 19: | Chorus Of Athenians | Ye shades, where sacred truth is sought; | | | 859 | | 20: | Chorus Of Youths And Virgins | Oh Tyrant Love! hast thou possest | | | 949 | | 21: | Couplets On Wit | But our Great Turks in wit must reign alone | | | 856 | | 22: | Elegy To The Memory Of An Unfortunate Lady | What beck’ning ghost, along the moon-light shade | | | 788 | | 23: | Eloisa To Abelard | In these deep solitudes and awful cells, | | | 826 | | 24: | Epigram Engraved On The Collar Of A Dog Which I Gave To His Royal Highness | I am his Highness' dog at Kew; | | | 796 | | 25: | Epigram From The French. | Sir, I admit your general rule, | | 4 | 521 | | 26: | Epigram On One Who Made Long Epitaphs.[129] | Friend, for your epitaphs I'm grieved, | | 4 | 381 | | 27: | Epigram On The Feuds About Handel And Bononcini. | Strange! all this difference should be | | 2 | 377 | | 28: | Epigram On The Toasts Of The Kit-Cat Club, Anno 1716. | Whence deathless 'Kit-cat' took its name, | | 8 | 376 | | 29: | Epigram, Engraved On The Collar Of A Dog Which I Gave To His Royal Highness. | I am His Highness' dog at Kew; | | 2 | 375 | | 30: | Epigram. | A Bishop, by his neighbours hated, | | 8 | 899 | | 31: | Epigram. | You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come; | | 2 | 323 | | 32: | Epilogue To Mr Rowe's 'Jane Shore.' | Prodigious this! the frail one of our play | | 50 | 321 | | 33: | Epilogue[177] To The Satires. In Two Dialogues. | Not twice a twelvemonth you appear in print, | 1788 | 188 | 354 | | 34: | Epilogue[177] To The Satires. In Two Dialogues. DIALOGUE II. | Not yet, my friend! to-morrow, faith, it may; | 1788 | 283 | 325 | | 35: | Epistle II: To A Lady ( Of The Characters Of Women ) | Nothing so true as what you once let fall, | | | 802 | | 36: | Epistle To Dr Arbuthnot; Or, Prologue To The Satires. | Shut, shut the door, good John! fatigued, I said, | | 499 | 342 | | 37: | Epistle To James Craggs, Esq., Secretary Of State. | A soul as full of worth, as void of pride, | | 17 | 630 | | 38: | Epistle To Miss Blount, With The Works Of Voiture.[1] | In these gay thoughts the Loves and Graces shine, | | 80 | 456 | | 39: | Epistle To Mr Jervas, With Mr Dryden's Translation Of Fresnoy's 'Art Of Painting.' | This verse be thine, my friend, nor thou refuse | | 78 | 629 | | 40: | Epistle To Mrs Teresa Blount. On Her Leaving The Town After The Coronation.[1] | As some fond virgin, whom her mother's care | | 50 | 335 | | 41: | Epistle To Robert Earl Of Oxford And Earl Mortimer. | Such were the notes thy once-loved Poet sung, | | 40 | 592 | | 42: | Epistles To Several Persons: Epistle Iv, To Richard Boyle, | Tis strange, the miser should his cares employ | | | 837 | | 43: | Epistles To Several Persons: Epistle To Dr. Arbuthnot | Shut, shut the door, good John! fatigu'd, I said, | | | 833 | | 44: | Epitaph I. On Charles Earl Of Dorset, In The Church Of Withyam, In Sussex. | Dorset, the grace of courts, the Muses' pride, | | 14 | 359 | | 45: | Epitaph II. On Sir William Trumbull.[1] | A pleasing form; a firm, yet cautious mind; | | 12 | 378 | | 46: | Epitaph III. On The Hon. Simon Harcourt, Only Son Of The Lord Chancellor Harcourt, At The Church Of Stanton Harcourt, In Oxfordshire, 1720. | To this sad shrine, whoe'er thou art, draw near; | | 8 | 355 | | 47: | Epitaph IV. On James Craggs, Esq. In Westminster Abbey. | Statesman, yet friend to Truth! of soul sincere, | | 6 | 399 | | 48: | Epitaph IX. On General Henry Withers, In Westminster Abbey, 1729. | Here, Withers, rest! thou bravest, gentlest mind, | | 12 | 370 | | 49: | Epitaph On Gay. | Well, then, poor G---- lies under ground! | | 4 | 370 | | 50: | Epitaph On Lord Coningsby. | Here lies Lord Coningsby--be civil! | | 2 | 332 | | 51: | Epitaph V. Intended For Mr Rowe, In Westminster Abbey. | Thy relics, Rowe, to this fair urn we trust, | | 8 | 353 | | 52: | Epitaph VI. On Mrs Corbet, Who Died Of A Cancer In Her Breast. | Here rests a woman, good without pretence, | | 10 | 383 | | 53: | Epitaph VII. On The Monument Of The Honourable Egbert Digby, And His Sister Mary. | Go! fair example of untainted youth, | | 22 | 366 | | 54: | Epitaph VIII. On Sir Godfrey Kneller, In Westminster Abbey, 1723. | Kneller, by Heaven, and not a master, taught, | | 8 | 335 | | 55: | Epitaph X. On Mr Elijah Fenton,[1] At Easthamstead, In Berks, 1730. | This modest stone, what few vain marbles can, | | 10 | 360 | | 56: | Epitaph XI. On Mr Gay, In Westminster Abbey, 1732. | Of manners gentle, of affections mild; | | 12 | 388 | | 57: | Epitaph XII. Intended For Sir Isaac Newton, In Westminster Abbey. | Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night | | 7 | 405 | | 58: | Epitaph XIII. On Dr Francis Atterbury,[1] Bishop Of Rochester, Who Died In Exile At Paris, 1732. | Yes, we have lived--one pang, and then we part! | | 10 | 323 | | 59: | Epitaph XIV. On Edmund Duke Of Buckingham, Who Died In The Nineteenth Year Of His Age, 1735. | If modest youth, with cool reflection crown'd, | | 14 | 393 | | 60: | Epitaph XV. For One Who Would Not Be Buried In Westminster Abbey. | Heroes and kings! your distance keep: | | 4 | 339 | | 61: | Epitaph XVI. Another, On The Same. | Under this marble, or under this sill, | | 8 | 356 | | 62: | Epitaph XVII. On Two Lovers Struck Dead By Lightning.[1] | When Eastern lovers feed the funeral fire, | | 24 | 595 | | 63: | Essay On Man | Awake, my St. John!(1) leave all meaner things | | | 835 | | 64: | Extemporaneous Lines On A Portrait Of Lady Mary Wortley Montague, Painted By Kneller. | The playful smiles around the dimpled mouth, | | 10 | 340 | | 65: | Farewell To London | Dear, damn'd distracting town, farewell! | | | 886 | | 66: | From An Essay On Man | Heav'n from all creatures hides the book of fate, | | | 831 | | 67: | Imitations Of English Poets. Earl Of Dorset: Artemisia. | Though Artemisia talks, by fits, | | 49 | 694 | | 68: | Imitations Of English Poets. Earl Of Rochester: On Silence. | Silence! coeval with eternity; | | 42 | 605 | | 69: | Imitations Of English Poets. Waller: Of A Lady Singing To Her Lute. | Fair charmer, cease! nor make your voice's prize, | | 28 | 631 | | 70: | Imitations Of Horace: The First Epistle Of The Second Book | While you, great patron of mankind, sustain | | | 812 | | 71: | Impromptu To Lady Winchelsea. | In vain you boast poetic names of yore, | | 12 | 367 | | 72: | Impromptu, To Lady Winchelsea | In vain you boast Poetic Names of yore, | | | 785 | | 73: | In Imitation Of Chaucer | Women ben full of Ragerie, | | | 1186 | | 74: | In Imitation Of Cowley : The Garden | Fain would my Muse the flow'ry Treasures sing, | | | 1169 | | 75: | In Imitation Of Dr. Swift : The Happy Life Of A Country Parson | Parson, these things in thy possessing | | | 1075 | | 76: | In Imitation Of E. Of Dorset : Artemisia | Tho' Artemisia talks, by fits, | | | 1163 | | 77: | In Imitation Of E. Of Rochester : On Silence | Silence! coeval with Eternity; | | | 1110 | | 78: | In Imitation Of Spenser : The Alley | In ev'ry Town, where Thamis rolls his Tyde, | | | 1201 | | 79: | Inscription On A Grotto, The Work Of Nine Ladies. | Here, shunning idleness at once and praise, | | | 1091 | | 80: | January And May. From Chaucer.[58] - Translations And Imitations. | There lived in Lombardy, as authors write, | | 820 | 368 | | 81: | Lines On A Grotto, At Crux-Easton, Hants. | Here shunning idleness at once and praise, | | 8 | 337 | | 82: | Lines On Curll | So when Curll’s Stomach the strong Drench o’ercame, | | | 829 | | 83: | Lines On Receiving From The Eight Hon. The Lady Frances Shirley[63] A Standish And Two Pens. | Yes, I beheld the Athenian queen | | 32 | 313 | | 84: | Lines Sung By Durastanti, When She Took Leave Of The English Stage. | Generous, gay, and gallant nation, | | 14 | 436 | | 85: | Lines Written In Windsor Forest | All hail, once pleasing, once inspiring shade! | | | 1125 | | 86: | Lines Written In Windsor Forest. | All hail, once pleasing, once inspiring shade, | | 8 | 339 | | 87: | Macer : A Character | When simple Macer, now of high renown, | | | 1178 | | 88: | Macer: A Character. | When simple Macer, now of high renown, | | 26 | 361 | | 89: | Mary Gulliver To Captain Lemuel Gulliver. An Epistle. | Welcome, thrice welcome, to thy native place! | | 110 | 315 | | 90: | Messiah. A Sacred Eclogue, In Imitation Of Virgil's 'Pollio.' | Ye Nymphs of Solyma! begin the song: | | 112 | 724 | | 91: | Moral Essays. Epistle I.--To Sir Richard Temple, Lord Cobham. | Yes, you despise the man to books confined, | | 280 | 359 | | 92: | Moral Essays. Epistle II. - To A Lady. Of The Characters Of Women. | Nothing so true as what you once let fall | | 316 | 328 | | 93: | Moral Essays. Epistle III.[20] - To Allen Lord Bathurst. | Who shall decide, when doctors disagree, | | 439 | 381 | | 94: | Moral Essays. Epistle IV. - To Richard Boyle, Earl Of Burlington. | Tis strange, the miser should his cares employ | | 213 | 328 | | 95: | Moral Essays. Epistle V. To Mr Addison. | See the wild waste of all-devouring years! | | 55 | 363 | | 96: | Occasioned By Some Verses Of His Grace The Duke Of Buckingham | Muse, 'tis enough: at length thy labour ends, | | | 1064 | | 97: | Occasioned By Some Verses Of His Grace The Duke Of Buckingham. | Muse, 'tis enough: at length thy labour ends, | | 8 | 311 | | 98: | Ode On Solitude | Happy the man, whose wish and care | | | 907 | | 99: | Ode On St. Cecilia's Day | Descend ye Nine! descend and sing; | | | 1008 | | 100: | Ode To Quinbus Flestrin, The Man Mountain,[87] By Titty Tit, Poet-Laureate To His Majesty Of Lilliput. Translated Into English. | In amaze, Lost I gaze! | | 50 | 376 | | 101: | On A Certain Lady At Court | I know a thing that’s most uncommon; | | | 819 | | 102: | On A Certain Lady At Court. | I know the thing that's most uncommon; | | 12 | 335 | | 103: | On A Fan Of The Author's Design | Come gentle Air! th' AEolian shepherd said, | | | 1033 | | 104: | On An Old Gate. Erected In Chiswick Gardens. | O gate, how cam'st thou here? | | 7 | 337 | | 105: | On Bentley's 'Milton.' | Did Milton's prose, O Charles! thy death defend? | | 6 | 351 | | 106: | On Certain Ladies | When other fair ones to the shades go down, | | | 1046 | | 107: | On Drawings Of The Statues Of Apollo, Venus, And Hercules, Made For Pope By Sir Godfrey Kneller. | What god, what genius did the pencil move, | | 4 | 374 | | 108: | On His Grotto At Twickenham | Thou who shalt stop, where Thames' translucent wave | | | 1001 | | 109: | On His Grotto At Twickenham, Composed Of Marbles, Spars, Gems, Ores, And Minerals. | Thou who shalt stop, where Thames' translucent wave | | 23 | 362 | | 110: | On Mr. Gay | Of Manners gentle, of Affections mild; | | | 986 | | 111: | On Mrs Tofts, A Celebrated Opera Singer. | So bright is thy beauty, so charming thy song, | | 4 | 395 | | 112: | On Seeing The Ladies Crux-Easton Walk In The Woods By The Grotto. | Authors the world and their dull brains have traced | | | 982 | | 113: | On The Countess Of Burlington Cutting Paper | Pallas grew vapourish once, and odd, | | | 1097 | | 114: | On The Countess Of Burlington Cutting Paper. | Pallas grew vapourish once, and odd; | | 20 | 430 | | 115: | Part Of The Ninth Ode Of The Fourth Book. | Lest you should think that verse shall die, | | 16 | 307 | | 116: | Phyrne | Phryne had talents for mankind, | | | 1054 | | 117: | Prayer Of Brutus. From Geoffrey Of Monmouth. | Goddess of woods, tremendous in the chase, | | 8 | 335 | | 118: | Prayer Of St. Francis Xavier | Thou art my God, sole object of my love; | | | 985 | | 119: | Preface | Let such teach others, who themselves excel, | | 2 | 256 | | 120: | Prologue To 'The Three Hours After Marriage' | Authors are judged by strange capricious rules; | | 38 | 369 | | 121: | Prologue To Mr Addison's 'Cato.' | To wake the soul by tender strokes of art, | | 46 | 329 | | 122: | Prologue To Mr Addison's Tragedy Of Cato. | To wake the soul by tender strokes of art, | | 46 | 683 | | 123: | Prologue To Thomson's 'Sophonisba.'[59] | When Learning, after the long Gothic night, | | 32 | 337 | | 124: | Prologue, Designed For Mr D'Urfey's Last Play. | Grown old in rhyme, 'twere barbarous to discard | | 28 | 313 | | 125: | Roxana, Or The Drawing-Room. An Eclogue. | Roxana, from the Court returning late, | | 52 | 311 | | 126: | Sandys Ghost ; A Proper Ballad On The New Ovid's Metamorphosis | Ye Lords and Commons, Men of Wit, | | | 991 | | 127: | Sandys' Ghost;[82] Or, A Proper New Ballad On The New Ovid's Metamorphoses: As It Was Intended To Be Translated By Persons Of Quality. | Ye Lords and Commons, men of wit | | 76 | 319 | | 128: | Sappho To Phaon (Ovid Heroid XV) | Say, lovely youth, that dost my heart command, | | | 989 | | 129: | Sappho To Phaon. From The Fifteenth Of Ovid's Epistles. - Translations And Imitations. | Say, lovely youth, that dost my heart command, | | 259 | 310 | | 130: | Satires And Epistles Of Horace Imitated. - Satire I. To Mr Fortescue.[121] | There are (I scarce can think it, but am told) | | 164 | 339 | | 131: | Satires And Epistles Of Horace Imitated. - Satire II. To Mr Bethel. | What, and how great, the virtue and the art | | 180 | 321 | | 132: | Sir, I admit your general rule, | Sir, I admit your general rule, | | | 1156 | | 133: | Solitude | Happy the man, whose wish and care | | | 866 | | 134: | Solitude: An Ode | How happy he, who free from care | | | 818 | | 135: | Song, By A Person Of Quality | Flutt'ring spread thy purple Pinions, | | | 853 | | 136: | Song, By A Person Of Quality, Written In The Year 1733. | Fluttering, spread thy purple pinions, | 1733 | 32 | 345 | | 137: | Sound And Sense | True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, | | | 911 | | 138: | Spring - The First Pastoral ; Or Damon | First in these fields I try the sylvan strains, | | | 1025 | | 139: | Summer - The Second Pastoral; or Alexis | A Shepherd's Boy (he seeks no better name) | | | 883 | | 140: | Sylvia, A Fragment. | Sylvia my heart in wondrous wise alarm'd | | 20 | 313 | | 141: | The Balance Of Europe. | Now Europe balanced, neither side prevails; | | 2 | 401 | | 142: | The Basset-Table : An Eclogue | The Basset-Table spread, the Tallier come; | | | 851 | | 143: | The Basset-Table.[62] An Eclogue. | The basset-table spread, the tallier come; | | 130 | 330 | | 144: | The Challenge, A Court Ballad. | To one fair lady out of Court, | | 57 | 337 | | 145: | The Challenge: A Court Ballad | To one fair lady out of Court, | | | 881 | | 146: | The Descent Of Dullness | In vain, in vain--the all-composing Hour | | 30 | 307 | | 147: | The Dunciad: Appendix | It will be found a true observation, | | 642 | 325 | | 148: | The Dunciad: Book I | The Mighty Mother, and her son who brings | | | 994 | | 149: | The Dunciad: Book III | But in her Temple's last recess inclos'd, | | | 896 | | 150: | The Dunciad: Book IV | Yet, yet a moment, one dim ray of light | | | 804 | | 151: | The Dunciad: Book The Fourth. | Yet, yet a moment, one dim ray of light | | 697 | 347 | | 152: | The Dunciad: Book The Second. | High on a gorgeous seat, that far out-shone | | 439 | 311 | | 153: | The Dunciad: Book The Third. | But in her temple's last recess enclosed, | | 392 | 326 | | 154: | The Dunciad: Preface, letters and Notes | It is with pleasure I hear that you have procured a correct copy of 'The Dunciad,' | | 1304 | 357 | | 155: | The Dunciad:[234] Book The First. | The mighty mother, and her son, who brings | | 437 | 335 | | 156: | The Dying Christian To His Soul | Vital spark of heav'nly flame, | | | 783 | | 157: | The Fable Of Dryope - Ovid's Metamorphoses Book 9, (v - 324-393) | She said, and for her lost Calanthis sighs, | | | 817 | | 158: | The Fable Of Dryope.[56] From The Ninth Book Of Ovid's Metamorphoses. - Translations And Imitations. | She said, and for her lost Galanthis sighs; | | 103 | 362 | | 159: | The First Book Of Statius's Thebais. - Translations And Imitations. | Fraternal rage, the guilty Thebes' alarms, | | 867 | 348 | | 160: | The First Epistle Of The First Book Of Horace. | St John, whose love indulged my labours past, | | 189 | 354 | | 161: | The First Epistle Of The Second Book Of Horace. | While you, great patron of mankind! sustain | | 424 | 337 | | 162: | The Fourth Epistle Of The First Book Of Horace.[128] | Say, St John, who alone peruse | | 38 | 346 | | 163: | The Iliad: Book VI (Excerpt) | He said, and pass'd with sad presaging heart | | | 824 | | 164: | The Lamentation Of Glumdalclitch For The Loss Of Grildrig. A Pastoral. | Soon as Glumdalclitch miss'd her pleasing care, | | 78 | 395 | | 165: | The Looking-Glass. | With scornful mien, and various toss of air, | | 14 | 378 | | 166: | The Looking-Glass. : On Mrs. Pulteney | With scornful mien, and various toss of air, | | | 925 | | 167: | The Messiah : A Sacred Eclogue | Ye nymphs of Solyma! begin the song, | | | 1246 | | 168: | The Rape of the Lock | What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs, | | | 1086 | | 169: | The Rape of the Lock (Canto 2) | Not with more glories, in th' etherial plain, | | | 798 | | 170: | The Rape of the Lock (Canto 3) | Close by those meads, for ever crown'd with flow'rs, | | | 754 | | 171: | The Rape of the Lock (Canto 4) | But anxious cares the pensive nymph oppress'd, | | | 751 | | 172: | The Rape of the Lock (Canto 5) | She said: the pitying audience melt in tears, | | | 824 | | 173: | The Rape Of The Lock. An Heroi-Comical Poem | What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs, | | | 766 | | 174: | The Rape Of The Lock: Canto 1 | What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, | | | 1079 | | 175: | The Riddle Of The World | Know then thyself, presume not God to scan | | | 1004 | | 176: | The Satires Of Dr John Donne, Dean Of St Paul's, Versified. Satire IV. | Well, if it be my time to quit the stage, | | 287 | 338 | | 177: | The Satires Of Dr John Donne, Dean Of St Paul's,[171] Versified. | Yes; thank my stars! as early as I knew | | 131 | 340 | | 178: | The Second Epistle Of The Second Book Of Horace. | Dear Colonel, Cobham's and your country's friend! | | 327 | 315 | | 179: | The Sixth Epistle Of The First Book Of Horace. | Not to admire, is all the art I know, | | 134 | 325 | | 180: | The Temple Of Fame | In that soft season, when descending show'rs | | | 765 | | 181: | The Three Gentle Shepherds | Of gentle Philips will I ever sing, | | | 1023 | | 182: | The Three Gentle Shepherds. | Of gentle Philips will I ever sing, | | 10 | 332 | | 183: | The Translator. | Ozell, at Sanger's call, invoked his Muse, | | 11 | 304 | | 184: | The Universal Prayer. Deo Opt. Max. | Father of all! in every age, | | 52 | 441 | | 185: | The Wife Of Bath, Her Prologue. From Chaucer. - Translations And Imitations. | Behold the woes of matrimonial life, | | 439 | 347 | | 186: | To A Lady, With The 'Temple Of Fame.' | What's fame with men, by custom of the nation, | | 4 | 322 | | 187: | To Erinna. | Though sprightly Sappho force our love and praise, | | 7 | 345 | | 188: | To Lady Mary Wortley Montagu | In beauty, or wit, | | | 847 | | 189: | To Lady Mary Wortley Montague. | In beauty or wit, | | 30 | 331 | | 190: | To Mr C.,[1] St James's Place. | Few words are best; I wish you well: | | 12 | 345 | | 191: | To Mr Gay, Who Had Congratulated Pope On Finishing His House And Gardens. | Ah, friend! 'tis true--this truth you lovers know | | 14 | 363 | | 192: | To Mr John Moore, Author Of The Celebrated Worm-Powder. | How much, egregious Moore, are we | | 40 | 351 | | 193: | To Mr Lemuel Gulliver, The Grateful Address Of The Unhappy Houyhnhnms, Now In Slavery And Bondage In England. | To thee, we wretches of the Houyhnhnm band, | | 39 | 307 | | 194: | To Mr. Thomas Southern, On His Birth Day | Resign'd to live, prepar'd to die, | | | 799 | | 195: | To Mrs. M. B. On Her Birthday | Oh be thou blest with all that Heav'n can send, | | | 875 | | 196: | To The Author Of A Poem Entitled Successio | Begone, ye Critics, and restrain your spite, | | | 805 | | 197: | Translation Of A Prayer Of Brutus | Goddess of woods, tremendous in the chase, | | | 958 | | 198: | Two Or Three: A Recipe To Make A Cuckold | Two or three visits, and two or three bows, | | | 966 | | 199: | Umbra.[85] | Close to the best known author Umbra sits, | | 16 | 393 | | 200: | Universal Prayer | Father of all! In every age, | | | 1469 | | 201: | Upon The Duke Of Marlborough's House At Woodstock. | See, sir, here's the grand approach, | | 16 | 332 | | 202: | Verbatim From Boileau. | Once (says an author--where I need not say) | | 12 | 305 | | 203: | Verses Left By Mr Pope. On His Lying In The Same Bed Which Wilmot, The Celebrated Earl Of Rochester, Slept In At Adderbury, Then Belonging To The Duke Of Argyll, July 9, 1739. | With no poetic ardour fired, | | 12 | 332 | | 204: | Verses Left By Mr. Pope | With no poetic ardour fir'd | | | 986 | | 205: | Vertumnus and Pomona : Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 14 (v. 623-771) | The fair Pomona flourish'd in his reign; | | | 800 | | 206: | Vertumnus And Pomona, From The Fourteenth Book Of Ovid'S Metamorphoses. - Translations And Imitations. | The fair Pomona flourish'd in his reign; | | 123 | 289 | | 207: | Weeping | While Celia's Tears make sorrow bright, | | | 1041 | | 208: | Windsor Forest | Thy forests, Windsor! and thy green retreats, | | | 830 | | 209: | Winter - The Fourth Pastoral, Or Daphne | Thyrsis, the music of that murm'ring spring, | | | 1095 | | 210: | You Know Where You Did Despise | You know where you did despise | | | 960 |
About:
Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744) is generally regarded as the greatest English poet of the early eighteenth century, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third most frequently quoted writer in the English language, after Shakespeare and Tennyson. Pope was a master of the heroic couplet.
His father was Alexander Pope Senior (1646–1717), a linen merchant of Plough Court, Lombard Street, London, and his mother Edith (née Turner) (1643–1733), who were both Catholics. Edith's sister Christiana was the wife of the famous miniature painter Samuel Cooper. Pope's education was affected by the Test Acts, which upheld the status of the established Church of England and banned Catholics from teaching, attending a university, voting, or holding public office on pain of perpetual imprisonment. Pope was taught to read by his aunt, and went to Twyford School in about 1698/99. He then went to two Catholic schools in London. Such schools, while illegal, were tolerated in some areas.
In 1700, his family moved to a small estate at Popeswood in Binfield, Berkshire, close to the royal Windsor Forest. This was due to strong anti-Catholic sentiment and a statute preventing Catholics from living within 16 km of either London or Westminster. Pope would later describe the countryside around the house in his poem Windsor Forest. Pope's formal education ended at this time, and from then on he mostly educated himself by reading the works of classical writers such as the satirists Horace and Juvenal, the epic poets Homer and Virgil, as well as English authors such as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and John Dryden. He also studied many languages and read works by English, French, Italian, Latin, and Greek poets. After five years of study, Pope came into contact with figures from the London literary society such as William Wycherley, William Congreve, Samuel Garth, William Trumbull, and William Walsh.
At Binfield, he also began to make many important friends. One of them, John Caryll (the future dedicatee of The Rape of the Lock), was twenty years older than the poet and had made many acquaintances in the London literary world. He introduced the young Pope to the ageing playwright William Wycherley and to William Walsh, a minor poet, who helped Pope revise his first major work, The Pastorals. He also met the Blount sisters, Teresa and (his alleged future lover) Martha, both of whom would remain lifelong friends.
From the age of 12, he suffered numerous health problems, such as Pott's disease (a form of tuberculosis that affects the bone), which deformed his body and stunted his growth, leaving him with a severe hunchback. His tuberculosis infection caused other health problems including respiratory difficulties, high fevers, inflamed eyes, and abdominal pain. He grew to a height of only 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) tall. Pope was already removed from society because he was Catholic; his poor health only alienated him further. Although he never married, he had many female friends to whom he wrote witty letters. Allegedly, his lifelong friend, Martha Blount, was his lover.
In May, 1709, Pope's Pastorals was published in the sixth part of Tonson's Poetical Miscellanies. This brought Pope instant fame, and was followed by An Essay on Criticism, published in May 1711, which was equally well received.
Around 1711, Pope made friends with Tory writers John Gay, Jonathan Swift, Thomas Parnell and John Arbuthnot, who together formed the satirical Scriblerus Club. The aim of the club was to satirise ignorance and pedantry in the form of the fictional scholar Martinus Scriblerus. He also made friends with Whig writers Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. In March 1713, Windsor Forest was published to great acclaim.
Pope's next well-known poem was The Rape of the Lock, first published in 1712, with a revised version published in 1714. This is sometimes considered Pope's most popular poem because it was a mock-heroic epic, written to make fun of a high-society quarrel between Arabella Fermor (the "Belinda" of the poem) and Lord Petre, who had snipped a lock of hair from her head without her permission. In his poem he treats his characters in an epic style; when the Baron steals her hair and she tries to get it back, it flies into the air and turns into a star.
During Pope's friendship with Joseph Addison, he contributed to Addison's play Cato, as well as writing for The Guardian and The Spectator. Around this time he began the work of translating the Iliad, which was a painstaking process – publication began in 1715 and did not end until 1720.
In 1714, the political situation worsened with the death of Queen Anne and the disputed succession between the Hanoverians and the Jacobites, leading to the attempted Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. Though Pope as a Catholic might have been expected to have supported the Jacobites because of his religious and political affiliations, according to Maynard Mack, "where Pope himself stood on these matters can probably never be confidently known". These events led to an immediate downturn in the fortunes of the Tories, and Pope's friend, Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke fled to France.
Pope's house at Twickenham, showing the grotto. From a watercolour produced soon after his death.
Resource:- Wikipedia.
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