Ivan Ivanovich Kozlov (russian: Иван Иванович Козлов; ) was a Russian Romantic poet and translator. As

D. S. Mirsky D. S. Mirsky is the English pen-name of Dmitry Petrovich Svyatopolk-Mirsky (russian: Дми́трий Петро́вич Святопо́лк-Ми́рский), often known as Prince Mirsky ( – c. 7 June 1939), a Russian political and lit ...

noted, "his poetry appealed to the easily awakened emotions of the sentimental reader rather than to the higher poetic receptivity".

Biography

Kozlov was born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, of noble ancestry, in 1779. He began writing poetry only after 1820, when he became blind. He reached the success equal to that of

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

with ''The Monk'' (1825), a verse tale in which the darkness of a

Byronic The Byronic hero is a variant of the Romantic hero as a type of character, named after the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. Both Byron's own persona as well as characters from his writings are considered to provide defining features to the char ...

hero is sentimentalized and redeemed by ultimate repentance. ''The Monk'' produced as large a family of imitations as either of Pushkin's Romantic poems. Kozlov's two other narrative poems, ''Princess Natalie Dolgorukov'' (1828), a sentimental variation on the theme of the misfortunes of Peter II's bride, and ''The Mad Girl'' (1830), met with a somewhat diminished success. Today the only poem of his still universally remembered is an exceptionally faithful translation of

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

's '' Evening Bells'', entitled ''Вечерний звон'', a popular Russian song. He also translated ''The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna'' by

Charles Wolfe Charles Wolfe (14 December 1791 – 21 February 1823) was an Irish poet, chiefly remembered for "The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna" which achieved popularity in 19th century poetry anthologies. Family Born at Blackhall, County Kilda ...

(''Не бил барабан перед смутным полком''), and this text also became very popular in Russia. Ivan Kozlov died in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in 1840, aged 60.

References

1779 births 1840 deaths Poets from the Russian Empire Male writers from the Russian Empire Russian male poets Translators from the Russian Empire Blind people from Russia Writers from Moscow Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery {{russia-translator-stub