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Robert
Williams died in January 1868 of a sudden illness. Already suffering from cancer and devastated by the loss of her father, Sarah's condition deteriorated. After three additional months of hiding the cancer from her friend and mother, she agreed to surgery despite knowing it might kill her. She
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father Robert
Williams (c. 1807–1868) and English mother Louisa Ware (c. 1811–1886). She was very close to her father and considered her "bardic" interests to come from him. As a young child unable to pronounce 'Sarah', she inadvertently gave herself the nickname 'Sadie'. An only child, she was
218:
and the redemption of the
Inspector in the novel. The poem is written from the perspective of an aged astronomer on his deathbed bidding his student to continue his humble research. The lines have been chosen by a number of professional and amateur astronomers as their epitaphs.
189:, was published in late 1868. The collection included "The Old Astronomer" (also known as "The Old Astronomer to His Pupil", as it was titled in a 1936 U.S. reprint), now the most famous of her poems. The second half of the fourth stanza is widely quoted:
138:(December 1837 – 25 April 1868) was an English poet and novelist, most famous as the author of the poem "The Old Astronomer". She published short works and one collection of poetry during her lifetime under the pseudonyms
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Contemporary birth records and publications at
Williams' death indicate that she was born in December 1837. Later sources and modern databases give the date incorrectly as 1841, based on
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Although
Williams was only half Welsh by birth and never lived outside London, she incorporated Welsh phrases and themes in her poems and Sadie was considered a Welsh poet.
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after the lines and quoted them in the introduction. In an interview, Rankin linked the quote to the rise of a restored
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Catchers of the Light: The
Forgotten Lives of the Men and Women Who First Photographed the Heavens
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150:. Her posthumously published second poetry collection and novel appeared under her given name.
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educated first by her doting parents and later governesses. She graduated from
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Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
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Barnes, Don (March 1998). "'I Have Loved the Stars Too Fondly'".
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is nicknamed "Sarah's Galaxy," possibly in tribute to
Williams.
251:, a starship's dedication plaque quotes from her famous poem.
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I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.
517:"January interviews Ian Rankin: The Accidental Crime Writer"
146:, the former of which she considered her name rather than a
411:Kunitz, Stanley J.; Haycraft, Howard, eds. (1936).
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397:The Poets and the Poetry of the Nineteenth Century
270:The Poets and the Poetry of the Nineteenth Century
456:""Sadie": In Memory of an Esteemed Contributor"
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434:The Red Dragon: The National Magazine of Wales
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158:Williams was born in December 1837 in
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665:Writers from the City of Westminster
515:Pierce, K. Kingston (January 2000).
454:Macleod, Norman, ed. (1 June 1868).
364:. ArtDeCiel Publishing. p. i.
650:19th-century English women writers
428:J.J. (1885). Harris, James (ed.).
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675:19th-century pseudonymous writers
591:Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse
573:Astronomical Society of Edinburgh
483:Twilight hours, a legacy of verse
394:Miles, Alfred Henry, ed. (1898).
299:Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse
187:Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse
182:during surgery on 25 April 1868.
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400:. Vol. 7. pp. 573–594.
504:. Strahan & Co. p. 69.
296:(1868). Williams, Sarah (ed.).
569:"Scotland's Sky in April 2022"
302:. Strahan. pp. vii–xxxiii
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616:(public domain audiobooks)
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185:Her second book of poetry,
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670:Pseudonymous women writers
645:19th-century English poets
496:Williams, Sarah (1868).
610:Works by Sarah Williams
555:1998S&T....95c..10B
480:Williams, Sarah (1868).
355:Hughes, Stefan (2012).
169:Queen's College, London
102:Queen's College, London
660:People from Marylebone
294:Plumptre, Edward Hayes
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498:"The Old Astronomer"
272:(published in 1898).
248:Star Trek: Discovery
180:Kentish Town, London
129:"The Old Astronomer"
655:English women poets
216:Scottish Parliament
462:. Strahan & Co
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234:("Sarah's Galaxy")
160:Marylebone, London
543:Sky and Telescope
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118:Years active
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575:. 31 March 2022.
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126:Notable works
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54:25 April 1868
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34:December 1837
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524:. Retrieved
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148:nom de plume
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67:, London, UK
65:Kentish Town
46:, London, UK
18:
16:English poet
640:1868 deaths
635:1837 births
238:The galaxy
204:titled his
629:Categories
460:Good Words
277:References
202:Ian Rankin
80:Occupation
58:1868-04-26
44:Marylebone
549:(3): 10.
526:28 August
466:28 August
430:"Queries"
335:28 August
306:28 August
154:Biography
112:Victorian
614:LibriVox
605:Volume 2
601:Volume 1
240:NGC 3628
232:NGC 3628
178:died in
144:S.A.D.I.
88:Language
72:Pen name
551:Bibcode
329:FreeBMD
121:1866–68
92:English
56: (
38:1837-12
36: (
440:: 406.
368:
223:Legacy
208:novel
108:Period
362:(PDF)
331:. ONS
257:Notes
164:Welsh
162:, to
140:Sadie
528:2015
468:2015
366:ISBN
337:2015
308:2015
142:and
83:Poet
51:Died
31:Born
612:at
245:In
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
