David Bates

David Bates (March 6, 1809 – January 25, 1870) was an American poet.

Life and Career He was born in Indian Hill, Ohio, and educated in Buffalo, New York, before working in first Indianapolis then Philadelphia. In 1849, he published a volume of poetry, Eolian. which was parodied by Lewis Carroll in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as well as "Chiding", and "Childhood".

In adulthood, he began his career as a clerk and later became a full member and chief buyer for an Indianapolis mercantile house. Bates also wrote poetry and, at the age of 40, published a collection titled Eolian. One of the poems in the collection, Speak Gently, has been described as a “universal hymn” for readers around the world .