The first of April;

Name: The first of April;
Author: William Combe

By William Combe

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Humour Poetry

About This Book

A satirical poem begins with a dedication urging a noble patron to renounce fashionable folly, then unfolds an allegorical April vision in which Folly presides over a gaudy festival. The narrator tours a tinsel palace of distorted art and sham grandeur, watches revelers, ceremonies, and dancing votaries, and sees public figures reduced to objects of ridicule. Through ironic description and pointed moral admonition the poem exposes vanity, theatrical display, and courtly flattery as substitutes for taste and wisdom, criticizes the corrupting habits of the fashionable elite, and urges cultivation of virtue and social responsibility.

About the Author

William Combe

William Combe was an English writer and poet, best known for his humorous and satirical works in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He gained popularity for his poem "The History of Johnny Quæ Genus, the Little Foundling of the Late Doctor Syntax," which is part of a series that parodies the poetic conventions of his time. Combe's writing often reflects a keen observation of society and a playful use of language, making him a notable figure in the realm of comic poetry. His other works, including "An Heroic Epistle to the Right Honourable the Lord Craven," showcase his wit and ability to engage with contemporary issues through satire.