Songs For All Seasons

Today's Song of the Day is another on the theme of Retirement. It is a setting of a hymn "Far from the world, O Lord, I flee" by William Cowper (1731-1800), who is perhaps best known for another hymn: "Oh! For a Closer Walk with God". However, most people will be more familiar with the quote "God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform" - which was also penned by Cowper, in his hymn "Light Shining out of Darkness". A celebrated poet of his era, Cowper transformed 18th-century nature poetry by capturing the essence of everyday life and the serene beauty of the English countryside. He truly paved the way for Romantic poetry. Samuel Taylor Coleridge deemed him "the best modern poet," while William Wordsworth held a particular admiration for his evocative poem "Yardley-Oak." Despite his remarkable contributions, Cowper's life was shadowed by heartbreak. He...

Today's Song of the Day is a setting of a poem called "On Retirement" by Philip Freneau. I do still have a good few years to go yet before I reach retirement age but I find myself dreaming of finally being able to lose the shackles of the day job and spend my days chilling, writing music, eating chocolate and doing whatever I want. Freneau was an American poet, nationalist, polemicist, sea captain and early American newspaper editor sometimes called the "Poet of the American Revolution". He was active during the time of the American Revolution, rubbing shoulders with such historical figures as James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. In fact, owing to his newspaper's frequent attacks on his administration and himself, Washington took a particular dislike to Freneau. However, whatever your politics, I think Freneau's words will strike a chord with many of us, and for those of you reading this who are already retired - I e...