k, make this translation far superior to Pope's
artificial couplets. It is also better, in many respects, than Chapman's
more famous and more fanciful rendering; but for some reason it was not
successful, and has never received the recognition which it deserves.
Entirely different in spirit are the poet's numerous hymns, which were
published in the Olney Collection in 1779 and which are still used in our
churches. It is only necessary to mention a few first lines--"God moves in
a mysterious way," "Oh, for a closer walk with God," "Sometimes a light
surprises"--to show how his gentle and devout spirit has left its impress
upon thousands who now hardly know his name. With Cowper's charming
_Letters_, published in 1803, we reach the end of his important works, and
the student who enjoys reading letters will find that these rank among the
best of their kind. It is not, however, for his ambitious works that Cowper
is remembered, but rather for his minor poems, which have found their own
way into so many homes. Among these, the one that brings quickest response
from hearts that understand is his little poem, "On the Receipt of My
Mother's Picture." beginning with the striking line, "Oh, that those lips
had language." Another, called "Alexander Selkirk," beginning, "I am
monarch of all I survey," suggests how Selkirk's experiences as a castaway
(which gave Defoe his inspiration for _Robinson Crusoe_) affected the
poet's timid nature and imagination. Last and most famous of all is his
immortal "John Gilpin." Cowper was in a terrible fit of melancholy when
Lady Austen told him the story, which proved to be better than medicine,
for all night long chuckles and suppressed laughter were heard in the
poet's bedroom. Next morning at breakfast he recited the ballad that had
afforded its author so much delight in the making. The student should read
it, even if he reads nothing else by Cowper; and he will be lacking in
humor or appreciation if he is not ready to echo heartily the last stanza:

Now let us sing, Long live the King,
And Gilpin, long live he!
And when he next doth ride abroad
May I be there to see.

ROBERT BURNS (1759-1796)

After a century and more of Classicism, we noted with interest the work of
three men, Gray, Goldsmith, and Cowper, whose poetry, like the chorus of
awakening birds, suggests the dawn of another day. Two other poets of the
same age suggest the sunrise. The first is the plowman Burns,