Into My Heart an Air That Kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those…
Alfred Edward Housman, born on March 26, 1859, in Fockbury, Worcestershire, England, emerged as one of the foremost classical scholars and poets of his time. Housman was the eldest of seven children in a family that experienced considerable hardships, including the early death of his mother when he was just 12 years old. Demonstrating exceptional academic promise, Housman attended Oxford University but failed his final exams, a setback attributed to his unreciprocated feelings for a fellow student, Moses Jackson.
Despite this, Housman found success in the British Patent Office while pursuing classical studies independently. In 1892, his scholarship earned him a position as Professor of Latin at University College London, and later at Cambridge University. His scholarly works, especially on Latin poetry, remain highly regarded.
Housman’s poetry, however, brought him lasting fame. His first and most celebrated collection, “A Shropshire Lad” (1896), resonates with themes of pastoral beauty, fleeting youth, and unfulfilled longing, capturing the zeitgeist of late-Victorian England. The concise, evocative verse influenced generations of poets and composers.
Housman remained reserved about his personal life, though his letters suggest a life marked by emotional solitude. He died on April 30, 1936, in Cambridge, leaving behind a legacy of profound melancholic beauty in both his scholarly and poetic endeavors.