1740 in poetry
—first stanza of James Thomson's "Rule, Britannia", written for the masque Alfred
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).
Works published
Sarah Dixon, Several Occasions, Canterbury: J. Abree
John Dyer, The Ruins of Rome
Richard Glover, An Apology for the Life of Mr. Colley Cibber
Christopher Pitt, The Aeneid of Virgil (Books 1-4 first published 1736; see also An Essay on Vergil's Aeneid 1728, Works of Virgil 1753)
Aquila Rose, Poems on Several Occasions, English Colonial America (posthumous)
James Thomson, Alfred, including "Ode in Honour of Great Britain," that is, "Rule Britannia"
Other
Johann Jakob Bodmer, Von dem Wunderbaren in der Poesie a German-language critical treatise published in Switzerland
Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
February 4 – Carl Michael Bellman (died 1795), Swedish poet
April 10 – Basílio da Gama (died 1795), Brazilian
August 15 – Matthias Claudius (died 1815), German