On 21/09/2015 5:52 PM, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Mon, 21 Sep 2015 17:18:18 +1000, Fran Farmer
wrote:

Does anyone know who wrote this following piece of verse please:

"Give me an house, convenient, clean and fair,
An old world garden with its fruitful walls,
Orchards and spreading vines, a few tried thralls;
A faithful wife unspent with children's care.
No debts, no quarrels, lust or lawyers snare.
No irksome sharing of ancestral halls;
Deriving little, deaf to ambitions calls,
Or ought beside that simple folk forswear
Grant me to live in low estate at ease,
In true devotion telling out my days;
Give me a soul at peace from passionate ways,
A fearless mind unmarred by man or fate,
So praising God I'll graft and prune my trees,
Till death comes softly to my garden gate."

I've done a google trying ot find the author and found the poem
mentioned here but when I google the name of the cited Author there is
not one hit:
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi...19191025.2.150

Anyone recognise this poem please?

I googled the first line and it threw up the same as your link. I
presume it was written by Aristophe Plantin, that he was French, and
it was translated by Reginald L. Hine (whoever they were). Is that
not sufficient? Googling for Reginald L. Hine throws up lots.

As I mentioned, I wanted to know who wrote the poem. Further googling
has now yielded a result. Thanks for your input.