Oswald Couldrey

Oswald Jennings Couldrey (1882-1958) was a British artist, poet and author.

The son of Frederick Knight Couldrey of Abingdon, Oswald Couldrey attended Abingdon School and Pembroke College, Oxford. He entered the Indian Civil Service, education branch, and became Principal of Government Arts College, Rajahmundry.

He established the Andhra School of Indian Arts and guided several Telugu artists such as Damerla Rama Rao and Adivi Bapiraju.

In watercolour he painted many evocative Indian and Abingdon scenes. He was author of

• The Mistaken Fury (1914)
• Thames and Godaveri (1920)
• South Indian Hours (1924)
• Triolets and Epigrams (1948?)
• The Phantom Waterfall (1949)
• Sonnets of East and West (1951)
• Verses over Fifty Years (1958).

Wagtails on the River is one of his triolets.

Out of the reeds a wagtail flew,

And then another three or four;

And every time that I said "Shoo",

Out of the reeds a wagtail flew.

When I had counted twenty-two

I said, "There can't be any more."

Out of the reeds a wagtail flew;

And then another three or four,

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Name	Couldrey, Oswald
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Date of birth	1882
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Date of death	1958
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