Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. 2 (of 2)Howitt, William
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Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Howitt, William
Literary landmarks -- Great Britain; Poets, English -- Homes and haunts
"What! Tennant the author of Anster Fair? Why, he did not live here,
and I fancy is still living." "Oh, no," replied the man, "I mean Mr.
Tennant of the Secret Chemical Works there;" pointing to a tall
smoking chimney. Heaven help us! what is a poet in Glasgow!--I went on
and found tombs and mausolea as big as houses, ay, and fine large
houses too; but Motherwell has not a stone as big as an ostrich egg to
mark the spot where he lies! One of the grave-diggers, however, knew
the place. "Strangers," he said, "often inquired after it; but you'll
not find it yourself," he said, "there's nothing to distinguish
it"--so he went and pointed it out. There stand, however, on the spot
a thorn and a laburnum. It is at a turn of the carriage-road, as you
ascend at the north end of the cemetery. God save the mark! There is
the poet's grave, sure enough, without a stone or epitaph, and
opposite to it is a large Doric temple, with wreaths of bay on its
front, the resting-place, no doubt, of some mighty man of mills. Such
was my day's perambulation in Glasgow in quest of the traces of poets.
But to return now to Campbell, as a boy living in Glasgow. As a child
he gave evidence of considerable powers of mind, and before he
attained the age of twelve was a good Latin scholar. At twelve he
commenced his studies in the university, where he distinguished
himself greatly. As regards this part of his life we can not do better
than quote from a well written biographical sketch of his life,
published last year in Hogg's Weekly Instructor. "In his thirteenth
year, Campbell succeeded, after a formidable competition with a
student nearly twice his own age, in gaining the bursary on Archbishop
Leighton's foundation. He continued seven years at the university,
receiving at the close of each session numbers of prizes, the reward
of his industry and zeal. The exercises which gained him these
distinctions were often of a very difficult nature, and such as tested
his powers severely; but his correct taste and sound judgment,
combined with his diligence and application, enabled him to accomplish
the tasks prescribed to him, in a manner highly creditable to himself
and most satisfactory to his teachers. In translations from the Greek
especially he excelled; so much so, indeed, that his fellow-students
were afraid to enter the lists with him. His poetical versions of
several Greek plays of Aristophanes, Æschylus, and others, obtained
the highest commendations of his professor; who, in awarding the prize
for the translation of The Clouds of Aristophanes, thus eulogized, in
terms the most flattering, the production of the youthful poet--that,
in his opinion, it was the best performance which had ever been given
within the walls of the university. Portions of these translations
have been published in his works.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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