Ralph Hodgson , Order of the Rising Sun , was an English poet, very popular in his lifetime on the strength of a small number of anthology pieces, such as The Bull. He was one of the more 'pastoral' of the Georgian poets. In 1954, he was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
He seems to have covered his tracks in relation to much of his life; he was averse to publicity. This has led to claims that he was reticent. Far from that being the case, his friend Walter De La Mare found him an almost exhausting talker; but he made a point of personal privacy. He kept up a copious correspondence with other poets and literary figures, including those he met in his time in Japan such as Takeshi Saito.
His poem The Bells of Heaven was ranked 85th in the list of Classic FM's One Hundred Favourite Poems. Quoting from the biography which accompanied the poem: "He was one of the earliest writers to be concerned with ecology, speaking out against the fur trade and man's destruction of the natural world." Wikipedia
"The Bells of Heaven", p. 25.
Poems (1917)
"Reason Has Moons", p. 64.
Poems (1917)
“Hodgson, a man of steadfast integrity and strong personality, possessed true distinction.”
Martin Seymour-Smith Guide to Modern World Literature (London: Hodder & Stoughton, [1973] 1975) vol. 1, p. 237.
Criticism
“Time, you old gipsy man,
Will you not stay,
Put up your caravan
Just for one day?”
"Time, You Old Gipsy Man", p. 4.
Poems (1917)
