1740 in poetry

—first stanza of James Thomson's "Rule, Britannia", written for the masque Alfred

When Britain first, at Heaven's command

Arose from out the azure main;

This was the charter of the land,

And guardian angels sang this strain:

"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:

"Britons never will be slaves."

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

Events

Main article: 1740

Works published

Great Britain

• Sarah Dixon, Poems on Several Occasions, Canterbury: J. Abree^[1]
• John Dyer, The Ruins of Rome^[2]
• Richard Glover, An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber^[2]
• Christopher Pitt, The Aeneid of Virgil (Books 1-4 first published 1736; see also An Essay on Vergil's Aeneid 1728, Works of Virgil 1753)^[2]
• Aquila Rose, Poems on Several Occasions, English Colonial America (posthumous)^[3]
• James Thomson, Alfred, including "Ode in Honour of Great Britain," that is, "Rule Britannia"
• Francis Tolson, Hermathenæ, Or Moral Emblems, and Ethnick Tales, with Explanatory Notes

Other

• Johann Jakob Bodmer, Von dem Wunderbaren in der Poesie a German-language critical treatise published in Switzerland

Births

Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• February 4 – Carl Michael Bellman (died 1795), Swedish poet^[4]
• April 10 – Basílio da Gama (died 1795), Brazilian
• August 15 – Matthias Claudius (died 1815), German
• September 2 – Johann Georg Jacobi (died 1814), German
• November 4 – Augustus Montagu Toplady (died 1778), English clergyman and hymn-writer; an opponent of John Wesley; author of the hymn "Rock of Ages"
• Also:
  • Charlotte Brooke (died 1793), Irish poet
  • Samuel Henley (died 1815) English clergyman, school teacher, college principal, antiquarian, writer and poet
  • Thomas Moss (died 1808), English clergyman and poet
  • Christoph Friedrich Sangerhausen (died 1802), German

Deaths

Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• April 23 – Thomas Tickell (born 1685), English poet and man of letters
• December 11 – Sidonia Hedwig Zäunemann (born 1711), German
• date not known – John Adams (born 1704), English Colonial American clergyman and poet^[3]
• date not known – Jane Brereton (born 1685), English poet notable as a correspondent to The Gentleman's Magazine
• date not known – Upendra Bhanja (born either 1670 or 1688), poet of Oriya Literature and awarded the title "Kavi-Samrata" - "The Emperor of the Poets"
• date not known – Amalia Wilhelmina Königsmarck (born 1663), Swedish poet

See also

• Poetry portal

• Poetry
• List of years in poetry
• List of years in literature
• 18th century in poetry
• 18th century in literature
• Augustan poetry
• Scriblerus Club