The Task

…Works he wrote during this time, such as Olney Hymns (1779) and Poems (1782), show his vulnerable soul groaning for God and nature. His blank verse masterpiece, The Task (1785), which is over 5,000 lines in six volumes, made him famous under his pen name, but he continued to suffer from bouts of depression, and especially after losing Mary in 1796, he spent the rest of his life almost like an invalid. But his friendliness is evident in the exquisite letters he wrote to his friends. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "The Task" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…その間に作った《オルニー賛美歌集》(1779)，《詩集》(1782)などは，彼の傷つきやすい魂が神や自然に向かってあえぐ様子が見てとれる。6巻5000行を超える無韻(ブランク･バース)の大作《課題The Task》(1785)で筆名は天下にとどろいたが，その後も憂鬱症の発作をくりかえし，とくに96年にメアリーを失ってからは，廃人に近い余生を送ることになる。しかし彼の人なつこさは友人たちにあてた絶妙なる書簡文ににじみ出ている。…

※「《The Task》」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報