1758 in poetry

• Christopher Smart writes "Jubilate Agno" (about 1758-63), only published in 1939

In the January 1758 edition of the Literary Magazine, an anonymous writer widely believed to be English poet and author Oliver Goldsmith presented a table comparing 29 English poets, rating them on a scale in each of four aspects of literary greatness.[4] A score of 20 was literary perfection.[5] Some of his estimations:[4]

Some other poets Goldsmith placed on the scale: Michael Drayton, Lee, Aaron Hill, Nicholas Rowe, Garth, Southern and Hughes. John Donne was not listed, because, wrote Goldsmith, "Dr Donne was a man of wit, but he seems to have been at pains not to pass for a poet."[6] (See also Mark Akenside's "Balance of Poets" of 1746.)

Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• February 3 – Vasily Kapnist (died 1823), Ukrainian poet and playwright
• March 15 – Magdalene Sophie Buchholm (died 1825), Norwegian poet
• April 6 – Sir George Dallas, 1st Baronet (died 1833), English politician and poet
• April 30 – Jane West, born Iliffe, publishing under the pen names "Prudentia Homespun" and "Mrs. West" (died 1852), English novelist, poet, playwright and writer of conduct literature and educational tracts
• December – Mary Leadbeater (died 1826), Irish poet and writer
• Also:
  • Ryōkan 良寛, born Eizō Yamamoto (died 1831), Japanese waka poet, calligrapher, Buddhist monk and often a hermit
  • year uncertain – Joseph Fawcett (died 1804), English Presbyterian minister and poet

Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:

• January 1 – Johann Friedrich von Cronegk (born 1731), German dramatist, poet and essayist
• January 7 – Allan Ramsay (born 1686), Scottish poet
• July 15 – Ambrosius Stub (born 1705), Danish poet

• Poetry
• List of years in poetry