Nahum Tate

Nahum Tate (1652 – July 30, 1715) was an Anglo-Irish poet and lyricist. He was born Nahum Teate in Dublin, Ireland (with the family name Teate). He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with a BA in 1672, and by 1676 he had moved to London and was writing for a living. The following year had had adopted the spelling Tate, http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4317 which would remain until his death, in 1715, in South­wark, Lon­don, England (see ).

Related Topics:
1652 - July 30 - 1715 - Anglo - Irish - Poet - Lyricist - Dublin, Ireland

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tate wrote the words to a number of hymns, of which the most famous is the Christmas carol Song of the Angels at the Nativity of our Blessed Saviour, more famously known by its opening line As shepherds watched their flocks by night. Tate also wrote the libretto for Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas in 1689. In 1682 Tate collaborated with John Dryden to complete the second half of his epic poem Absalom and Achitophel (see ).

Related Topics:
Christmas carol - Libretto - Henry Purcell - Opera - Dido and Aeneas - 1689 - 1682 - John Dryden - Absalom and Achitophel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Not all of his works have been remembered as kindly as these. He rewrote several of William Shakespeare's plays, including King Lear (see). Tate's version of King Lear has a happy ending in which Cordelia survives, marries Edgar, and the Fool is written out of the play entirely. Tate's version was acted in preference to Shakespeare's for almost 150 years.

Related Topics:
William Shakespeare - Play - King Lear - Happy ending - Fool

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tate also translated Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus, Girolamo Fracastoro's Latin pastoral poem on the subject of the disease of syphilis into English heroic couplets.

Related Topics:
Girolamo Fracastoro - Latin - Pastoral - Syphilis - Heroic couplet

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tate was named as poet laureate in 1692 although his poems were sharply criticised by Alexander Pope in The Dunciad.

Related Topics:
Poet laureate - 1692 - Alexander Pope - The Dunciad

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~