Pope, Alexander : The Representative Poet

Alexander Pope:

(1688-1744)

English poet Alexander Pope was born in London on 21 May 1688, His mother (Edith) was the daughter of William Turner and his father had a well accomplished business of wholesale linen, both were Catholics, and at that time to be a Catholic, especially from an ambitious man, was a serious disability. But this was only one pope’s difficulties. At the age of 12 as a result of a tubercular disease he grew up only four feet 6 inches in height. Studios when young, he was in large measure self educated.

Pope's earliest poems, though not free from imitation, were of an astonishing maturity. His grasp of the couplet form was approaching mastery, while his observant eye and telling for description was already far beyond the ordinary. One of his ambitious poems was ‘Essay on Criticism', published anonymously in 1711, in which he showed the genius for satire that was later to dominate his work. With this poem he made for himself a prominent place in the literary world of his time.

Windsor Forest was the richest and the most complex of his pastoral poems. It contained, perfectly blended, some important statements of ‘s vision of man in the world. A vision to which most subsequent critics have done scant justice. In 1725 Pope published his edition of Shakespeare in which he fell short of the current scholarly standards. In the same year there appeared the first part of his translation of homer’s Odyssey . Nevertheless, it’s translations were the masterpieces, if not from one language to another certainly from age to age and culture to culture.
Alexander Pope’s art of using word economically and yet with maximum effect has made him one of the most quoted (and misquoted ) of English poets.

These are some straight lines from his poems:

A little learning in a dang’rous thing:
drink deep, or taste not to Pierian.
To err is human, to forgive, divine.
Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.

Some of his admirable poems include Solitude, Lines from an Essay on Man, and the most famous “The Rape of the Lock”.

In 1742 when the last and final edition of 'The Dunciad' was released, he began to revise and assemble his poetry, translations for a collected edition. Before he could complete the work on May 30, 1744, he died of dropsy (edema) and acute asthma .

v isit my website:

Comments

HOOD, THOMAS: British Romantic Poet

HOOD, THOMAS: (1799-1845) Thomas Hood English poet and writer was the son of a publisher and bookseller whose death in 1811 led to his education being curtailed. Thomas Hood worked as an engraver. In 1821 he got a job in London Magazine as an editorial assistant, the owners of which were old friends of his father's. He thus found himself at the heart of the literary scene. His first volume, written in collaboration with his friend Joshua Reynolds was ' Odes ' and ' Addresses to Great People ' published in 1825. From that book, he gained fame as a satirical poet. Two more collections of magazines and articles followed it entitled ' Whims ' and ' Oddities ' in 1826 and 1827. He edited and published his work in a number of periodicals including ' The Gem ', ' Comic Annuals ', ' New Monthly Magazine, and finally Hood's Own '. Despite the fact that Hood was favorite family reading for years, he was always short of money. He ...

Meerthi, Ismail : Khan Sahib

Ismail Meerthi: (1844–1917) Maulvi Ismail Meerthi born on 12 November 1844 in Meerut, was an Urdu poet, Schoolteacher, and Educationist. He was home-schooled by his father Sheikh Piir Bakhsh., later he received his higher education in the Persian language from Mirza Rahim Baig, who replied Ghalib's Qati-e-Burhan by writing Sati-e-Burhan. At first Ismail was not interested in poetry but his contemporaries, especially Qalaq's companionship, attracted him to poetry. Initially, he wrote some ghazals which were published under pseudonyms. After that he turned to Nazms. Later, he had a long and strong acquaintance with Munshi Zakaullah and Muhammad Hussain Azad. And thus, his poems became popular in Urdu. Due to his ability and literary services, the government of the time gave him the title of " Khan Sahib ". Ismail Meerthi had a important place among those who introduced Urdu literature to modern Nazm-composition. The books written before the failed war of Independenc...

MAHMUD OF GHAZNI: The Sultan Who Shaped History

Mahmud Ghaznvi (November 2nd, 971 - April 30th, 1030 AD): In the annals of history, Mahmud of Ghazni stands as a monumental figure, not just as a ruler but as the first-ever to bear the title of "Sultan." His legacy resonates through the ages, marked by his military prowess, patronage of arts and sciences, and his indelible impact on the socio-political landscape of his time. Born in 998, Mahmud ascended to power in the cradle of the Ghaznavid dynasty, succeeding his father, Emir Sabuktigin. Despite humble beginnings as the son of a Turkish slave, Sabuktigin rose to become the ruler of Ghazna, laying the foundation for Mahmud's illustrious reign. Under Mahmud's rule, the Ghaznavid court flourished as a hub of intellectual exchange, attracting renowned scholars and poets who contributed to the enrichment of Persian literature and culture. Among Mahmud's notable achievements was the patronage of Ferdowsi, whose epic work, the Shahnameh, was completed with the Sultan...

Historical Trivia

Search This Blog