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William McGonagall citations

William Topaz McGonagall était un tisserand, acteur et poète écossais. Il est renommé, de manière comique, pour être le pire poète de langue anglaise. Wikipedia  

✵ 1825 – 29. septembre 1902
William McGonagall photo
William McGonagall: 8   citations 0   J'aime

William McGonagall: Citations en anglais

“I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses.”

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William McGonagall

Poetry, The Tay Bridge Disaster (1880)

“BEAUTIFUL Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay!
With your numerous arches and pillars in so grand array
And your central girders, which seem to the eye
To be almost towering to the sky.”

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William McGonagall

Written before the disaster.
Poetry, The Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay (1878)

“Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv'ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember'd for a very long time.”

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William McGonagall

The death toll was actually 75.
Poetry, The Tay Bridge Disaster (1880)

“I was seized with a strong desire to write poetry, so strong, in fact, that in imagination I thought I heard a voice crying in my ears –"Write! Write"I wondered what could be the matter with me, and I began to walk backwards and forwards in a great fit of excitement, saying to myself– "I know nothing about poetry."”

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William McGonagall

"The Autobiography of Sir William Topaz McGonagall".
Other works

“But I may say Dame Fortune has been very kind to me by endowing me with the genius of poetry. I remember how I felt when I received the spirit of poetry. It was in the year of 1877.”

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William McGonagall

"The Autobiography of Sir William Topaz McGonagall", published in the Weekly News
McGonagall's "knighthood" was an honorary one conferred on him by King Theebaw of the Andaman Islands: "Knight of the White Elephant of Burmah".
Other works

“Well, I must say that the first man who threw peas at me was a publican..”

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William McGonagall

"Reminiscences".
Other works

“Then King Edward ordered his horsemen to charge,
Thirty thousand in number, it was very large;
They thought to o'erwhelm them ere they could rise from their knees,
But they met a different destiny, which did them displease;
For the horsemen fell into the spik'd pits in the way,
And, with broken ranks and confusion, they all fled away,
But few of them escap'd death from the spik'd pits,
For the Scots with their swords hack'd them to bits.”

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William McGonagall

Poetry, The Battle of Bannockburn

“All hail to the Rev. George Gilfillan, of Dundee,
He is the greatest preacher I did ever hear or see.
He preaches in a plain, straightforward way,
The people flock to hear him night and day,
And hundreds from his church doors are often turned away,
Because he is the greatest preacher of the present day.”

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William McGonagall

McGonagall's first poem.
Poetry, Lines in praise of the Rev. George Gilfillan (1877)