William Topaz Mcgonagall
Who is William Topaz Mcgonagall
William Topaz McGonagall (March 1825 – 29 September 1902) was a Scottish poet of Irish descent. He gained notoriety as an extremely bad poet who exhibited no recognition of, or concern for, his peers' opinions of his work.
He wrote about 200 poems, including "The Tay Bridge Disaster" and "The Famous Tay Whale", which are widely regarded as some of the worst in English literature. Groups throughout Scotland engaged him to make recitations from his work, and contemporary descriptions of these performances indicate that many listeners were appreciating McGonagall's skill as a comic music hall character. Collections of his verse remain popular, with several volumes available today.
McGonagall has been lampooned as the worst poet in British history. The chief criticisms are ...
Read Full Biography
William Topaz Mcgonagall Poems
- The Late Sir John Ogilvy
Alas! Sir John Ogilvy is dead, aged eighty-seven,
But I hope his soul is now in heaven;
For he was a generous-hearted gentleman I am sure,
And, in particular, very kind unto the poor.
...
- The Famous Tay Whale
'TWAS in the month of December, and in the year l883,
That a monster whale came to Dundee,
Resolved for a few days to sport and play,
And devour the small fishes in the silvery Tay.
...
- The Wreck Of The Whaler Oscar
'Twas on the 1st of April, and in the year of Eighteen thirteen,
That the whaler "Oscar" was wrecked not far from Aberdeen;
'Twas all on a sudden the wind arose, and a terrific blast it blew,
And the "Oscar" was lost, and forty-two of a gallant crew.
...
- An Ode To The Queen On Her Jubilee Year
Sound drums and trumpets, far and near!
And Let all Queen Victoria's subjects loudly cheer!
And show by their actions that they revere,
Because she's served them faithfully fifty long year!
...
- The Death Of The Old Mendicant
There was a rich old gentleman
Lived on a lonely moor in Switzerland,
And he was very hard to the wandering poor,
'Tis said he never lodged nor served them at his door.
...
Read All Poems
William Topaz Mcgonagall Quotes
Read All Quotes
Comments about William Topaz Mcgonagall
- Welfordwrites: william mcgonagall: the greatest bad poet of all time. his poetry is a delight to read solely because it is so awful.
- Dismalchips: william topaz mcgonagall will be out of a job, that's for sure.
- Argylebecky: william topaz mcgonagall, poet & tragedian of dundee, has been widely hailed as the writer of the worst poetry in the english language….the snp have similar notoriety & have proven to be the worst political party in scottish history. mcgonagall describing the tragedy of the snp.
- Spare_snare: the alternative burns.
a hero.
apparently he would rearrange and cut up his poems, similar to what bowie did.
not the world's worst poet after all.
we give you william topaz mcgonagall.
- Jan_d_burnett: the alternative burns.
a hero.
apparently he would rearrange and cut up his poems, similar to what bowie did.
not the world's worst poet after all.
i give you william topaz mcgonagall.
Read All Comments