"The Bard. A Pindaric Ode"

• Archive Work ID: poems.bapo
• Uniform Title: "The Bard. A Pindaric Ode" [e-text]
• First Line: 'Ruin seize thee, ruthless king!
• Language: English
• First Published: 1757
• References: Starr/Hendrickson (eds.), Complete Poems (1966), 18-24; Lonsdale (ed.), Poems (1969), 177-200
• Summary: Begun late in 1754 and initially abandoned by August 1755, then taken up again, completed and revised, between May and August 1757. Gray sent the earlier parts of the poem in letters to Thomas Wharton, dated 6 August 1755 (ll. 1-56), and to Richard Stonhewer, dated 21 August 1755 (ll. 63-100), the latter part (ll. 111-144) to William Mason, dated [24 or 31] May 1757. First published, as "Ode II." in Odes by Mr. Gray (1757), 12-21.

1 Manuscript:

• • Archive MS ID: mss.0015 (Source: EAD/XML)
  • Title: [untitled]
  • Date: 27 August 1756
  • Physical Description: 1 page; autograph, partial [ll. 23-56]
  • Language: English
  • Location: HM 21912, Department of Manuscripts, The Huntington, San Marino, CA, USA <https://www.huntington.org/library-collections>
  • References: Smith (ed.), Index (1989), item GrT 11, 80; Toynbee/Whibley (eds.), Correspondence (1971), letter no. 222, vol. ii, 474-478 (subscription required)
  • Contents: Autograph, of ll. 23-56, here untitled but referred to as "the British Ode", in a letter to Edward Bedingfield, 27 August 1756.