(19 October 1784 – 28 August 1859 / Southgate, London)

poet James Henry Leigh Hunt
#188 on top 500 poets
James Henry Leigh Hunt
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James Henry Leigh Hunt, best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist, poet and writer.

Early Life

Leigh Hunt was born at Southgate, London, where his parents had settled after leaving the USA. His father Isaac, a lawyer from Philadelphia, and his mother, Mary Shewell, a merchant's daughter and a devout Quaker, had been forced to come to Britain because of their loyalist sympathies during the American War of Independence. Hunt's father took holy orders and became a popular preacher, but he was unsuccessful in obtaining a permanent living. Hunt's father was then employed by James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos as tutor to his nephew, James Henry Leigh ... more »

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  • ''"No love," quothe he, "but vanity, sets love a task like
    that."''
    Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), British poet. The Glove and the Lions (l. 24). . . Favorite Poems Old and New. Helen Ferris, ed. (1957) Doubleday & Compan...
    19 person liked.
    		20 person did not like.
  • ''The laughing queen that caught the world's great hands.''
    Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), British poet. The Nile (l. 8). . . Oxford Book of Nineteenth-Century English Verse, The. John Hayward, ed. (1964; reprinte...
    13 person liked.
    		17 person did not like.
  • ''It flows through old hushed Egypt and its sands,
    Like some grave mighty thought threading a dream,''
    Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), British poet. The Nile (l. 1-2). . . Oxford Book of Nineteenth-Century English Verse, The. John Hayward, ed. (1964; reprin...
    12 person liked.
    		15 person did not like.
  • ''Green little vaulter in the sunny grass,''
    Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), British poet. To the Grasshopper and the Cricket (l. 1). . . Oxford Book of Nineteenth-Century English Verse, The. John Ha...
    8 person liked.
    		16 person did not like.
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  • Mike Fine (10/10/2009 3:34:00 PM)

    I read the poem 'Abou Ben Adhem 65 years ago and found it to be the greatest..........Always felt it was written for and about me.....Mike Fine

    13 person liked.
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  • Kerry Bartake (6/28/2009 3:55:00 PM)

    I find the poem, 'The Glove and the Lions', very amusing because human nature never really changes through the centuries. Here we have the arrogant, beautiful woman who is all wrapped up in herself and, refreshingly, we have the sensible hero who discerns that his girlfriend has serious flaws. We can all relate to this! Remember the song from about ten years ago, 'She ain't pretty, she just looks that way! '

    14 person liked.
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  • Paul Metz (5/7/2006 10:40:00 AM)

    Spent 15 minutes trying to get to the text of Abou Ben Adam on your site. You should hire a better computer nerd of maybe the CIA to make life easier to download a poem.

    Paul Metz, MD

    P.S. I did not succeed..

    10 person liked.
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