I’d heard of the poem “The Hound of Heaven” decades ago; I’d read it back in college in an English literature course which used the Norton Anthology of English Literature. I checked my copy, which I’ve held on to since 1971; sure enough, it’s included. But I remembered nothing about the poet, Francis Thompson (1859-1907). As it turns out, I’m not alone; his name doesn’t come immediately to mind when thinking about the great Victorian and late Victorian poets.
Thompson’s story begins with his father, Charles, who was a doctor and Roman Catholic convert in northwest England. Charles wanted his son to be a priest, and the boy at age 11 was duly sent to seminary. Francis, however, was far more interested in history and poetry than theology. When the priesthood plan failed, his father sent him to study medicine at what is now the University of Manchester. Thompson was even less interested in being a doctor than he was in being a priest and left for London. Determined to be a writer, he found himself living on the streets, working in fits and starts, and soon addicted to opium.
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
Some Tuesday Readings
100 Great Poems for Boys, edited by Leslie Pockell – review by Betsy Farquhar at Redeemed Reader.
“Apologia,” an essay in verse – T.M. Moore at The Society of Classical Poets.
Spring springs – poem by Pádraig Ó Tuama at Poetry Unbound.
A Close Reading of the Poetry of Val Kilmer – Nick Ripatrazone at Literary Hub.
“To My Dear Friend Mr. Congreve,” poem by John Dryden – Joseph Bottum at Poems Ancient and Modern.
50 States of Generosity: Iowa -- Sandra Husk King at Tweetspeak Poetry.
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