John Payne (poet)
English poet and translator / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about John Payne (poet)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
John Payne (23 August 1842 – 11 February 1916[1]) was an English poet and translator. Initially he pursued a legal career and had associated with Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Later he became involved with limited edition publishing and the Villon Society.
John Payne | |
---|---|
Born | 23 August 1842 Bloomsbury, London, England |
Died | 11 February 1916 (aged 73) South Kensington, London, England |
Occupation | Poet, translator, solicitor |
He is now best known for his translations of Boccaccio's Decameron,[2] The Arabian Nights and the Diwan Hafez.
After completing his translation of Omar Khayyam, Payne returned to the rendition of Hafez that was eventually published in 3 volumes. in 1901. Payne argues that Hafez takes the "whole sweep of human experience and irradiates all things with his sun-gold and his wisdom".[3]
Payne once said that Hafez, Dante and Shakespeare were the three greatest poets of the world.[1]