Dec 18, 2009
“Stella’s Birthday, 1727” is a verse epistle, or letter written in verse. It is the last in a series of birthday poems written by Irish satirist Jonathan Swift for his beloved friend Esther Johnson. Swift met Johnson (“Stella”) when she was a child of eight. The daughter of a retainer to Swift’s friend and patron Sir William Temple, Johnson served not only as one of Swift’s most important correspondents but also as his literary muse. Swift’s charming custom of presenting Johnson with the gift of a verse epistle commemorating her March 13 birthday began...
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