Selected Writings

For the first time in one volume, this anthology presents a unique gathering of James Thomson's poetry, prose, and translations from European authors, allowing him to be seen as a poet distinct from Scotland or Great Britain. Translations include Novalis's "Hymn to the Night," the Leopardi letters, and several critically acclaimed translations of Heine. Thomson's own poems written in his classically pessimistic tone include "The City of the Dreadful Night," "In the Room," "Insomnia," and the antireligious satire "Religion in the Rocky Mountains."