Jubilate Agno

by Christopher Smart

A scholarly edition of poetical works by Christopher Smart. The edition presents an authoritative text, together with an introduction, commentary notes, and scholarly apparatus.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Nonfiction, British Literature, Religion, 18th Century

171 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1763

About the author

Christopher Smart was an English poet. He was a major contributor to two popular magazines, The Midwife and The Student, and a friend to influential cultural icons like Samuel Johnson and Henry Fielding. Smart, a high church Anglican, was widely known throughout London.
Smart was infamous as the pseudonymous midwife "Mrs. Mary Midnight" and for widespread accounts of his father-in-law, John Newbery, locking him away in a mental asylum for many years over Smart's supposed religious "mania". Even after Smart's eventual release, a negative reputation continued to pursue him as he was known for incurring more debt than he could repay; this ultimately led to his confinement in debtors' prison until his death.
His two most widely known works are A Song to David and Jubilate Agno, which are believed to have been written during his confinement in St. Luke's Asylum, although this is still debated by scholars as there is no record of when they were written. It is even more unclear when the works were written as Jubilate Agno was not published until 1939 when it was found in a library archive and A Song to David received mixed reviews until the 19th century. To his contemporaries, Smart was known mainly for his many contributions in the journals The Midwife and The Student, along with his famous Seaton Prize poems and his mock epic The Hilliad. Although he is recognized primarily as a religious poet, his poetry includes various other themes, such as his theories on nature and his promotion of English nationalism.

Reviews

[Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite parts:

"For I bless God for the Postmaster and all conveyors of letters under his care..."

"For I look up to heaven which is my prospect to escape envy by surmounting it."

"For I pray God to bless improvements in gardening until London be a city of palm trees."

"For nature is more various than observation tho' observers be innumerable."

"For grey hairs are honourable and tell everyone of them to the glory of God"

"Let simeon rejoice with the Oyster, who hath life without locomotion."

"For the rising of the barometer is not effected by pressure but by sympathy"

"For stuff'd guts make no musick, strain them strong and you shall have sweet melody."

"For snow is dew candied and cherishes."

"For the flowers are great blessings."

"For flowers are musical in ocular harmony."

"For a man cannot have publick spirit, who is void of private benevolence."

"For L is love, God in any language."

"For H is not a letter, but a spirit."

And apparently I should rejoice with the balsam of Gilead (Mastic). I will keep that in mind, thanks Christopher Smart for your beautiful, blessed verse.

[Nicholas Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For I have seen the white raven and Thomas Hall of Willingham and am myself a greater curiosity than both."

A poetic diary like no other. Three cheers for Christopher Smart!

[Drkshadow03 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title means Rejoice in the Lamb. Each section is divided into two part in which each stanza begins with “Let” on it presents a biblical figure and associates them with some kind of animal (real or imaginary) and some abstract characteristic of that creature and the stanza on the other page begins with “For” followed by some kind of religious, political, or scientific aphorism. It may be that each “Let” line is supposed to be paired with a respective “For” line, which some scholars have suggested.

I found this poem even more chaotic than Christopher Smart’s other best known poem, A Song to David. The pairing of Biblical figures with animals and characteristics followed by aphorism is interesting for a short while, but gets tedious as the poem progresses. In these associations, the poem hints that in nature we have a metaphorical mirror of God’s characteristics—not only is man made in God’s image, but in some ways all things in the world are a reflection of God’s image. Even the lowly cuttlefish has praiseworthy characteristic and all praiseworthy characters are found in God. Sometimes, Smart seems to comment on politics of his time, although this buried in the short aphoristic lines and it’s difficult to discern any sense in certain parts. In so far as the poem references certain scientific discoveries and interests of the time and associates them with God and the Divine, he seems to present a worldview in which scientific study of the natural world is not a replacement for the Divine, but rather the Divine is within nature and the cause behind it.

I am glad to have read this once for a historical perspective, but I can’t say I got much out of it personally or enjoyed it.

[Haley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a portion of this book for a poetry class I’m in, and I didn’t really enjoy it at all.

Positive things I have to say about this book:
-This dude really loves his cat, Jeffery (who is a god)
-“For he can spraggle upon waggle at the word of command” is a great line.

[Laura]

Honestly poetry peaked with Christopher Smart writing about his cat. All over the place, but there's something curiously compelling about the whole thing, and it certainly had points that moved me. I won't give it a rating because it's a bit of an odd book to rate, but I'm glad I read it.

[Owen Lucas · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ramblings of the insane are surprisingly tedious, as it turns out.

[Evelynn Moorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my fav, probably wouldn't read again. sorry Chris

[Lightsey]

Kinda makes you wish more 18th century poets had gone crazy.

--okay, no, I don't wish Bedlam on anyone. But this is a fascinating item, even beyond the much-read "Cat Jeoffry" portion. I mean--"Let Ross, House of Ross, rejoice with the Great Flabber Dabber flat clapping fish with hands"--it's marvelous, and my edition anyway has these dense lit-prof-type notes that glam up the experience (excuse the stupid words, I bought the 8-pound fall Vogue and it poisoned my brain)--

Anyway, the book gains interest largely because you know Smart's mad, and you're waiting around for him to say something unhinged, but meanwhile the lit prof responsible for the notes is deploring everything mad (and making no comment at all on Smart's various Freudian missteps, such as "Let Manly, House of Manly, rejoice with the Booby")--mmph--let's just say, read it drunk, it's a trip.

--And yes, I do feel guilty getting such a thrill from Smart's "diseased" imagination. I feel guilty, but I still enjoy it.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

glorious and crazed-- recommended for all who delight in the king james bible as music

[Andalee · Rating 1 out of 5]

not my style. boring. I got the point after the first ten