In 1789 he published a small book called Fourteen Sonnets, which was a break from much of the poetry currently being written by such poets as Alexander Pope. These poems were highly praised by the younger poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge who credited Bowles as helping to re-establish the sonnet as a contemporary form. It was his criticism of such poets as Pope — upholding the Natural as opposed to the Artificial — that particularly inspired Coleridge and Wordsworth. Bowles later summarized these views in his controversial 1819 publication, The Invariable Principles of Poetry.
He also published several volumes of longer poems, including, The Spirit of Discovery (1804), The Missionary (1813); The Grave of the Last Saxon (1822); and St John in Patmos (1833). Bowles is today best remembered for his sonnets, his shorter poems, and for his work as a critic.
The Withered Leaf
Oh! mark the withered leaves that fall
In silence to the ground;
Upon the human heart they call,
And preach without a sound.
They say, So passes man’s brief year!
To-day, his green leaves wave;
To-morrow, changed by time and sere,
He drops into the grave.
Let Wisdom be our sole concern,
Since life’s green days are brief!
And faith and heavenly hope shall learn
A lesson from the leaf.
Entry written by D.S. Martin. He is the author of six poetry collections including Angelicus (2021, Poiema/Cascade), plus three anthologies — available through Wipf & Stock. His new book The Role of the Moon, inspired by the Metaphysical Poets, is now available from Paraclete Press.
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