Sophie Jewett (June 3, 1861 – October 11, 1909), also known under the pseudonym Ellen Burroughs, was an American lyric poet, translator, and professor at Wellesley College.

Family

Jewett was born in

Moravia, New York Moravia is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 3,626 at the 2010 census. The town of Moravia contains a village also called Moravia. The town is in the Finger Lakes region, south of Auburn. History Moravia was ...

, one of four children of Charles Carroll Jewett, a doctor, and Ellen Ransom (Burroughs) Jewett. Her mother died when she was 7 and her father when she was 9, after which she was raised by an uncle, Daniel Burroughs, and her grandmother in Buffalo. Her sister Louise became a noted art historian. In Buffalo, she developed a friendship with

Mary Whiton Calkins Mary Whiton Calkins (; 30 March 1863 – 26 February 1930) was an American philosopher and psychologist, whose work informed theory and research of memory, dreams and the self. In 1903, Calkins was the twelfth in a listing of fifty psychologists w ...

, the daughter of her minister, who also went on to teach at Wellesley College.

Career

Writing

When she was 20, Jewett traveled in Europe, and reflections of these experiences appear in her early poetry and in sketches that she published in '' The Outlook'' and ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

''. Jewett initially published poetry under the pseudonym Ellen Burroughs (borrowed from her mother's name). Her first book under her own name was ''The Pilgrim, and Other Poems'' (1896). Jewett wrote in various poetic forms, including the rondeau, the sonnet, and the ballad. Fellow poet

Richard Watson Gilder Richard Watson Gilder (February 8, 1844 – November 19, 1909) was an American poet and editor. Life and career Gilder was born on February 8, 1844 at Bordentown, New Jersey. He was the son of Jane (Nutt) Gilder and the Rev. William Henry Gi ...

called her a true poet with a golden gift. In addition to original poetry, Jewett undertook translations, including a version of the complex Middle English poem '' The Pearl'' in the original meter and selected lyrics such as a "Nativity Song" adapted from the work of

Jacopone da Todi Jacopone da Todi, O.F.M. (ca. 1230 – 25 December 1306) was an Italian Franciscan friar from Umbria. He wrote several ''laude'' (songs in praise of the Lord) in the local vernacular. He was an early pioneer in Italian theatre, being one of ...

. A collection of southern European ballads translated by Jewett from several languages was edited by the author and literary scholar

Katharine Lee Bates Katharine Lee Bates (August 12, 1859 – March 28, 1929) was an American author and poet, chiefly remembered for her anthem "America the Beautiful", but also for her many books and articles on social reform, on which she was a noted speaker. Bat ...

and published posthumously. In 1901, Jewett published an introduction to a critical edition of

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

's ''The Holy Grail''. The English composer

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

wrote a song entitled " The Poet's Life" (1892) with lyrics by Jewett (credited to her pseudonym of Ellen Burroughs).

Teaching

In 1889, Jewett began teaching English at Wellesley College, and in 1897 she became an associate professor. Among her students there was the writer

Sarah Bixby Smith Sarah Bixby Smith (1871–1935) was a California writer and an advocate of women's education. ''Adobe Days'', her memoir of growing up in southern California, is considered a classic of the genre. Family and education Sarah Hathaway Bixby was bor ...

Death and legacy

Jewett died October 11, 1909. Wellesley College founded a scholarship in Jewett's name in 1911 and dedicated a window in her memory in the college chapel.

Publications

;Original poetry *''The Pilgrim, and Other Poems'' (1896) *''Persephone and Other Poems'' (1905) *''The Poems of Sophie Jewett'' (1910) ;Translations *'' The Pearl'' (1908) *''Folk-Ballads of Southern Europe'' (1913) ;Children's books *''God's Troubadour: The Story of St. Francis of Assisi'' (1910)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jewett, Sophie 1861 births 1909 deaths American women poets Wellesley College faculty People from Moravia, New York 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American translators American women academics