“He suffered little, and after death his countenance, which was strikingly lofty and peaceful, was I trust an image of the condition of his soul, which on earth was daily racked by bitter fancies, and tossed about by strong troubles.”

Finding a consoling image of inward peace in the face of the dead · Letter to John Frere, 23 March 1831

• Death
• Faith
• Hope

“They will feed the fire when classical, and in the case of mathematics will condense you and keep you in order.”

Seeing classical and mathematical study as disciplines that strengthen a poet · Letter to Hardwicke Rawnsley, 1872

• Art
• Poetry

“From the little I have seen of Buchanan, I do not doubt his genius & I hope he keeps clear of an approach to the ‘fleshly school’ which he named so well & so justly condemned.”

Recognising poetic genius while expressing his own moral reservations · Letter to D. R. Williamson, 5 August 1872

• Art
• Faith
• Poetry