| David Bates | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 6, 1809 Indian Hill, Ohio |
| Died | January 25, 1870 (aged 60) |
| Occupation | buyer |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship |
 U.S. |
| Children | Stockton |
The Poetical Works of David Bates, 1870. Courtesy Archive.
David Bates (March 6, 1809 - January 25, 1870) was an American poet.[1] A successful merchant, he was sometimes referred to as the "Broker Poet".[2]
Life[]
Bates was born at Indian Hill, Ohio. He began working as a clerk in Buffalo, New York. Later he went to work in a mercantile house in Indianapolis, Indiana, eventually becoming the buyer and a full member of the company, and settling in Philadelphia with his family.[1]
Bates became a man of letters and contributed to journals. In 1849 he published a volume of poetry, Eolian.[1]
Recognition[]
His son Stockton, who published his father's collected works after his death, wrote that "Two of his poems, `Speak Gently,' and `Childhood,' have attained a world-wide reputation; while the former of these, by translation into other languages, has become almost a universal hymn" (Poetical Works [Philadelphia, 1870]: vii).[1]
"Speak Gently" gained even more fame after Lewis Carroll parodied it in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[1]
Stanza 3 of Bates's "Speak Gently" reads:
Speak gently to the little child!
Its love be sure to gain;
Teach it in accents soft and mild: --
It may not long remain.
While Carroll's begins:
Speak roughly to your little boy,
And beat him when he sneezes;
He only does it to annoy,
Because he knows it teases.
Publications[]
- The Eolian. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1849. [3]
- Poetical Works (edited by Stockton Bates). Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen, & Haffelfinger, 1870.[5]
See also[]
Childhood - David Bates poem reading Jordan Harling Reads
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Notes on Life and Works," Selected Poetry of David Bates (1809-1870), Representative Poetry Online, UToronto.ca, Web, June 8, 2011.
- ↑ David Bates, Ebsco Host Connection. Web, Ebsco Publishing. Web, July 2, 2013.
- ↑ The Eolian (1849), Internet Archive, Web, Jan. 27, 2013.
- ↑ Poems (1853), Internet Archive, Web, Jan. 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Speak Gently," Representative Poetry Online, University of Toronto. UToronto.ca, Web, Jan. 27, 2013.
External links[]
- Selected Poetry of David Bates (1809-1870) at Representative Poetry Online - Biography & 3 poems (Chiding, Childhood, Speak Gently)
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