John Adams (poet)

John Adams (poet)

John Adams (1704 – January 1740), was an American poet.

Adams was the only son of Hon. John Adams (merchant) of Nova Scotia, and he graduated from Harvard University in 1721. He joined the ministry of the Congregational Church at Newport, Rhode Island, on April 11 1728, in opposition to the wishes of Mr. Clap, who was pastor there. Clap's friends formed a new society, and Adams was dismissed in about two years.

Adams was distinguished for his intellect and piety. As a preacher he was much esteemed. His uncle, Matthew Adams, described him as "master of nine languages," and claimed that he was conversant with the most famous Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and Spanish authors, as well as with the noblest English writers. He also speaks of his nephew's "great and undissembled piety, which ran, like a vein of gold, through all his life and performances."

Adams published a sermon on his ordination, 1728, and a poem on the love of money. He published two volumes of poetry: "A Collection of Poems by Several Hands" (1744), and "Poems on Several Occasions" (1745) ["Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896." Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963.] , which contains imitations and paraphrases of several portions of scripture, translations from Horace, and the whole book of Revelation in heroic verse, together with original pieces. The versification is remarkably harmonious for the period and the country. The following is an extract from his poem on Cotton Mather:

:"What numerous volumes, scattered from his hand,":"Lightened his own, and warmed each foreign land?":"What pious breathings of a glowing soul":"Live in each page, and animate the whole?":"The breath of heaven the savory pages show,":"As we Arabia from its spices know.—":"Ambitious, active, towering was his soul,":"But flaming piety inspired the whole."

(Massa.-mag. for Apr. 1789";Backus' hist. abr. 158 ; "Pref. to his poems";Specimens of Amer. poetry, I. 67.

He died at Cambridge, Massachusetts in January, 1740, at the age of 36, deeply lamented by his acquaintance.Allen, William. "An American Biographical and Historical Dictionary: Containing an Account of the Lives, Characters, and Writings of the Most Eminent Persons in North America From Its First Settlement, and a Summary of the History of the Several Colonies and of the United States". 2nd ed. Boston: Hyde, 1832.]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Adams (disambiguation) — John Adams (1735–1826) was the second President of the United States.John Adams may also refer to:Politicians*John Quincy Adams (1767–1848), 6th President of the United States and son of the 2nd President *John Michael Geoffrey Manningham Adams… …   Wikipedia

  • John Trumbull (poet) — John Trumbull (April 24, 1750 – May 11, 1831), American poet, was born in what is now Watertown, Connecticut, where his father was a Congregational preacher. At the age of seven he passed his entrance examinations at Yale, but did not enter until …   Wikipedia

  • John Adams (composer) — John Coolidge Adams (born February 15, 1947) is an American composer with strong roots in minimalism. He is best known for his opera Nixon in China (1985 ndash;87), recounting Richard Nixon s 1972 visit to China. His choral piece On the… …   Wikipedia

  • Adams (surname) — Adams is a common surname in English speaking countries, derived from the given name Adam.People with the surname AdamsPolitics and law*Abigail Adams (1744–1818), U.S. First Lady *Brockman Adams (1927–2004), U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator… …   Wikipedia

  • Adams, John — born Oct. 30, 1735, Braintree, Mass. died July 4, 1826, Quincy, Mass., U.S. U.S. politician, first vice president (1789–97) and second president (1797–1801) of the U.S. After graduating from Harvard College in 1755, he practiced law in Boston. In …   Universalium

  • John Marshall — For other people named John Marshall, see John Marshall (disambiguation). John Marshall John Marshall in 1831 by Henry Inman 4th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States …   Wikipedia

  • Adams — /ad euhmz/, n. 1. Abigail (Smith), 1744 1818, U.S. social and political figure (wife of John Adams). 2. Alice, born 1926, U.S. writer. 3. Ansel, 1902 84, U.S. photographer. 4. Brooks, 1848 1927, U.S. historian and political scientist (son of… …   Universalium

  • John Lowell — Hon. John Lowell (June 17, 1743 ndash;May 6, 1802), born in Newburyport, Massachusetts; the son of Rev. John Lowell and Sarah Champney. John Lowell was a respected lawyer, selectman, jurist, delegate to Congress, and federal judge.Known within… …   Wikipedia

  • Adams, John Coolidge — ▪ 1998       American composer John Adams, whose works were among the most performed of contemporary composers, was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1997. He had already won a number of honours, including a Guggenheim… …   Universalium

  • John M. Vining — Infobox Officeholder honorific prefix = name = John M. Vining honorific suffix = imagesize = small office = U. S. Senator from Delaware term start = March 4 1793 term end = January 19 1798 predecessor = Richard Bassett successor = Joshua Clayton… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”