John S. Reid

(1815(?)-1879)
Scotland & Indiana

"John S. Reid was a native of Ireland, who located in Indiana at an early day. He was a scholar, a lawyer by profession, a politician by choice, and a poet by nature. He was a lover of Oriental legend and song, and was especially enamored of Persian verse, from which he made translations, especially from the love songs of Hafiz. His longest and, perhaps, most ambitious poem was 'Gulzar, or The Rose Bower,' which was, both in the plot of the story and in its treatment, an imitation of Tom Moore's 'Lalla Rookh.' It was published by G.H. and J.P. Chapman of Indianapolis in 1845, and was, probably, the first book of original poetry that was both written and printed in the state.

With much that was faulty, the poem contained some exceedingly fine passages. his shorter poems were all tinged with Orientalism; but some of them were possessed of decided merit. Mr. Reid practiced his profession at Liberty, Connersville, and Indianapolis, and died in the latter city."

[Benjamin S. Parker & Enos B. Heiney (eds.), Poets and Poetry of Indiana 452 (New York: Silver, Burdett and Co., 1900)]

Poetry

John S. Reid, Gulzar, or, The Rose-bower a Tale of Persia (Indianapolis: S. Turner, 1845)