His Poetry
Capern occupied his leisure in writing occasional poetry, which struck the popular fancy. Collected and published by subscription in 1856, it received the warm praise of the reviews and many distinguished people. Poems, by Edward Capern, was followed by Ballads and Songs (1858), The Devonshire Melodist (a collection of the author's songs, some of them to his own music) and Wayside Warbles (1865), and resulted in a civil list pension being granted to him by Lord Palmerston.
He is buried at Heanton Punchardon near Braunton, North Devon.
Capern's local reputation continued. Victor Canning, a thriller and travel book writer, noted that Capern's "is better poetry than one would expect from a postman, and if it has a little breathlessness then it shows how truly the postman who wrote it has worked his own personality into the lines." He added that Capern was known as "the Devonshire Burns".
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“The author’s conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music; but this must not be taken as implying that all good music is dance music or all poetry lyric. Bach and Mozart are never too far from physical movement.”
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