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Christopher Pitt
Encyclopedia
Christopher Pitt was a British
poet
and translator
.
His translations to English include Virgil
's Aeneid
and Vida's Art of Poetry
.
Pitt was educated at Winchester College
, leaving in 1719 to study at New College, Oxford
. He was also Rector of Pimperne
, near Blandford Forum in Dorsetshire, a post given him by a relation, George Pitt, a post which he held for the rest of his life. Pitts translations of the Aeneid and Vida's Art of Poetry established his name, while his Imitations of Horace has been compared to that by Alexander Pope
. In 1727 his work miscellaneous poems was published. Pitts died in 1748. On his tombstone at Blandford Forum is the inscription:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
.
His translations to English include Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
and Vida's Art of Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
Pitt was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, leaving in 1719 to study at New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
. He was also Rector of Pimperne
Pimperne
Pimperne is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase two miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 995 ....
, near Blandford Forum in Dorsetshire, a post given him by a relation, George Pitt, a post which he held for the rest of his life. Pitts translations of the Aeneid and Vida's Art of Poetry established his name, while his Imitations of Horace has been compared to that by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
. In 1727 his work miscellaneous poems was published. Pitts died in 1748. On his tombstone at Blandford Forum is the inscription:
In memory of
CHR. PITT, Clerk, M. A.
Very eminent
for his talents in poetry,
and yet more
for the univcrfal eandour of
his mind, and the primitive
fimplicity of hi» manners.
He lived innocent,
and died beloved
Apr. 13. 1748.
aged 48.