Jonathan Swift on Poetry a Rhapsody
Many of Swift's poems circulated in manuscript and were only collected and printed much later. Some were written for close friends, like Stella and Vanessa, while others were light verses not considered worthy of printer's ink. However, in the late 1720s, Swift, now living permanently in Ireland, shifted from prose to poetry as his primary mode of public expression, publishing these works in London, many as large folios. This case presents some of these later poetical works, which were both social and political in nature.
PR3724 .L32 1732
London: Printed for J. Roberts, 1732
Teerink Collection
One of a group of scatological poems that Swift wrote in the early 1730s, this was clearly intended to revolt the "gentle" reader. The idealism of the lover Strephon regarding the object of his desire, Celia, whose name means "heavenly," is shattered when he enters her dressing room, only to discover her filthy, smelly personal effects strewn about the room.
The epigram on the title page of this poem declares:
We may observe, the finest Flowers, and the most delicious Fruits, sometimes owe their Nutriment and Increase to such kind of Matter, as is most offensive to the Senses, which themselves have the greatest Power to gratify. –Fiddes
Despite, or perhaps because the poem was extremely disgusting, it was one of Swift's most popular during his lifetime. It was first published, with other poems, in a large-quarto edition, and frequently reprinted thereafter.
PR3724 C3 1726f
"A True and Faithful Inventory of the Goods Belonging to Dr. Sw—t"
in Cadenus and Vanessa: A Poem
London: Printed for N. Blandford, 1726
Teerink Collection
Swift was part of a larger culture of verse writing, on topics major and minor, public and personal, and it is not always clear who wrote what, especially when many of these poems were published anonymously. This short piece—originally thought to have been written by Swift's good friend Thomas Sheridan and now considered by the poetry editors of the new Cambridge Edition of the Works of Jonathan Swift to be by Swift himself—has a counterpart in the "Friends (and Enemies)" case, where Swift's poem on Quilca, Sheridan's country house is on display. This poem was first printed in the June 25, 1726 issue of The London Journal.
PR3724 S78 1736
in S---t contra omnes: An Irish Miscellany
London: Dublin printed, and London re-printed, and sold by R. Amy ... Mrs. Dodd ... and by the book and pamphlet-sellers of London and Westminster, 1736
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Unlike other long satires Swift wrote in the 1720s and 1730s, the Legion Club deals with contemporary Irish politics, and the Irish Parliament, rather than with larger moral or societal issues. Swift viewed many of the politicians, dominated by landowners scheming to reduce their support to the Church of Ireland, as possessed by demons, the "Legion" (Luke8:30) of the poem's title. They have reduced the institution to a mere club intent on destroying Ireland and its people for their own greedy purposes.
PR3724 O6 1733 copy 2
Printed at Dublin, and re-printed at London, And sold by J. Huggonson, 1733
Teerink Collection
This poem explores the compulsion to write poetry and provides practical advice on how to survive as a poet in the modern world, where the ability to excessively flatter or brutally critique, rather than to craft a well-made poem, is the mark of a successful poet. Swift arranged for its publication in London. Forty-eight inflammatory lines, revealing kings to be created from the worst traits of beasts, of which these are only four, may have been added after publication rather than censored before printing.
Thus think on Kings, the Name denotes
Hogs, Asses, Wolves, Baboons, & Goats
To represent in figure just
Sloth, Folly, Rapine, Mischief, Lust
Given that they seem integral to the text, it's not likely that they are revisions, but it is also not clear when Swift wrote them. The full text, including these lines, first appeared in print in 1758.
PR3724 E65 1733
Dublin printed, and reprinted at London for J. Wilford at the Three Flower-de-Luces behind the Chapter-House, St. Paul's Church-Yard, 1734 [i.e. 1733]
Teerink Collection
This is one of the packet of poems that Mary Barber, a poet and one of Swift's "Triumfeminate," carried to London for Matthew Pilkington to see through the press. Pilkington was arrested in connection with the printing of this work in January 1734, only to be released in early February. The poem is addressed to Swift's Irish friend, Lady Anne Acheson, and reflects on the nature of satire and its potential as an instrument of reform, while also attacking Walpole's administration.
Despite the claim on the imprint, no copy of a Dublin edition is known.
Jonathan Swift on Poetry a Rhapsody
Source: http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/Swift350thExhibit/sec10.html