William Cowper
English poet whose The Task and hymns written with John Newton (Olney Hymns) were widely popular. His nature poetry and domestic subjects were important precursors to Wordsworth.
Works
- The TaskPhilosophical poem celebrating domestic life, nature, and rural retirement over public ambition
- Olney HymnsReligious hymns combining evangelical faith with emotional sensibility and spiritual intensity
- The Diverting History of John GilpinComic narrative poem of an ordinary man's unintentional adventure and comic misfortune
- Collected Poems