This definitive Oxford edition of William Cowper's poems collects the prolific eighteenth-century English poet's complete poetical works for the first time. Cowper, known for his contemplative and religious verse, was a contemporary influence on Romantic poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge. The Complete Poetical Works includes Cowper's most beloved works like "The Task", "John Gilpin", and "Light Shining Out of Darkness" alongside lesser-known poems, translations, and posthumously published verse. Editor H.S. Milford arranges Cowper's oeuvre chronologically while providing critical analysis in extensive editorial notes. This authoritative edition preserves Cowper's poetic legacy, making available his wide-ranging works that meditate on nature, rural life, faith, melancholy, and morality with intelligence and graceful wit.