Maurice Thompson Poems

 

Maurice Thompson was an American writer whose poetry often featured elements from the natural world that he had a keen interest in, such as botany and ornithology.  He was also a novelist, essayist, engineer and lawyer who was elected a member of the Indiana State Legislature in 1879. He was born James Maurice Thompson on the 9th September 1844 in Fairfield, Indiana, the son ...

Maurice Rollinat Poems

 

Maurice Rollinat was a French poet whose life spanned the second half of the 19th century. He was born on the 29th December 1846 in the town of Châteauroux which is the capital of the department of Indre, located in central France.  When the boy was two years old his father was the local representative on the National Assembly.  One of his father’s close ...

Mathilde Blind Poems

 

Mathilde Blind was a 19th century English poet, although her place of birth was actually Germany.  At a time when it was rare for women to become famous writers she overcame long-established male prejudices and emulated the likes of Katharine Tynan and Amy Levy who had similar success.  A movement growing ever popular at the time was called “New Woman” and Blind ...

Mather Byles Poems

 

Mather Byles was an 18th century American poet and Puritan minister who lost his church status following the American Revolution because he supported the Loyalists rather than the victorious Patriots side.  His parishioners objected to his political leanings and saw to it that he lost his ministry. He was born on the 26th March 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts, the grandson and nephew of two ...

Masaoka Shiki Poems

 

Masaoka Shiki  was a Japanese poet and literary critic who lived during his country’s Meiji period which ran from 1868 to 1912.  He was one of the earlier exponents of the modern version of haiku poetry and is considered, by some students of the art, to be one of the four great haiku masters.  He also specialised in the short-form version ...