A. E. Housman

Date of Birth:

26-Mar-1859

Nationality:

United Kingdom

Profession:

Philosopher

Alfred Edward Housman, better known as A. E. Housman, was a student of England and a poet considered one of the greatest scholars of all time and one of the greatest scholars of his time. His poems were marked by a romantic essimism he expressed in a simple and lovable way. His most famous work is the poetry cycle 'A Shropshire Lad' which shows his deep despair and determination to die. His despair is sometimes caused by the death of her mother before he was 12 years old. Another reason for his sadness and loneliness in his life was the fact that he was homosexual and in love with a man who could not reciprocate his feelings. He studied at Oxford University to study Classics but could not pass his exam due to the emotional turmoil he found himself in. Still, he continued to study ancient Latin texts secretly and to write magazine articles. His fluency in the language even though he did not have a university degree led to his being appointed Professor of Latin at University College London. Although famous for being a poet, he considered himself a medalist, Latin and considered poetry to be a second work.

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A. E. Housman

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QUOTES BY A. Housman

"Give me a land of boughs in leaf A land of trees that stand; Where trees are fallen there is grief; I love no leafless land."

"All knots that lovers tie Are tied to sever. Here shall your sweetheart lie, Untrue for ever."

"The thoughts of others Were light and fleeting, Of lovers' meeting Or luck or fame. Mine were of trouble, And mine were steady; So I was ready When trouble came."

"Who made the world I cannot tell; 'Tis made, and here I am in hell."

"I, a stranger and afraid In a world I never made."

"Stone, steel, dominions pass, Faith too, no wonder; So leave alone the grass That I am under."

"June suns, you cannot store them To warm the winter's cold, The lad that hopes for heaven Shall fill his mouth with mould."

"I do not choose the right word, I get rid of the wrong one."

"Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose, But young men think it is, and we were young."

"Perfect understanding will sometimes almost extinguish pleasure."

"Here dead lie we because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young."