1758 in poetry

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

Events

 * Christopher Smart writes "Jubilate Agno" (about 1758-63), only published in 1939

Oliver Goldsmith's "poetical scale"
In the January 1758 edition of the Literary Magazine, an anonymous writer widely believed to be English poet and author Oliver Goldsmith presented a table comparing 29 English poets, rating them on a scale in each of four aspects of literary greatness. A score of 20 was literary perfection. Some of his estimations:

Some other poets Goldsmith placed on the scale: Michael Drayton, Lee, Aaron Hill, Nicholas Rowe, Garth, Southern and Hughes. John Donne was not listed, because, wrote Goldsmith, "Dr Donne was a man of wit, but he seems to have been at pains not to pass for a poet." (See also Mark Akenside's "Balance of Poets" of 1746.)

Great Britain

 * Mark Akenside, An Ode to the Country Gentlemen of England
 * John Gilbert Cooper, The Call of Aristippus
 * Robert Dodsley:
 * Cleone: A tragedy, verse drama performed in December; the work also contains the author's poem "Melpomene", on the sublime
 * Collection of Poems, volumes five and six
 * James Macpherson, The Highlander
 * Thomas Parnell, Posthumous Works

English, Colonial America

 * Thomas Prince, The Psalms, Hymns, & spiritual Songs of the Old and new Testaments, English, Colonial America
 * Annis Boudinot Stockton, "To the Honorable Colonel Peter Schuyler" published in New-York Mercury and New American Magazine; her first published poem; Colonial America

Other

 * Solomon Gessner, Der Tod Abels, Switzerland, German-language work akin to an idyllic pastoral

Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * February 3 – Vasily Kapnist, Ukrainian poet and playwright (died 1823)
 * December 27 – Mary Robinson, English poet and novelist
 * Also:
 * Sir George Dallas, 1st Baronet, English
 * year uncertain – Joseph Fawcett (died 1804), English Presbyterian minister and poet
 * Elizabeth Hamilton (died 1816), English essayist, poet, satirist and novelist
 * Ryōkan 良寛 (died 1831), Japanese waka poet and calligrapher, Buddhist monk, often a hermit
 * Jane West, who published under the pen names "Prudentia Homespun" and "Mrs. West" (died 1852), English novelist, poet, playwright, and writer of conduct literature and educational tracts

Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * January 1 – Johann Friedrich von Cronegk (born 1731), German dramatist, poet and essayist
 * January 7 – Allan Ramsay, Scottish poet (born 1686)
 * July 15 – Ambrosius Stub, Danish poet (born 1705)
 * December 15 – John Dyer, Welsh poet (born 1699)
 * date unknown – Samuel Bishop (born 1731), English poet