In the brilliant dawn of Greek lyric poetry, when words were wedded to music and dance in elaborate public performances, one voice soared above all others with such power and sublimity that ancient critics called him simply "the poet." Pindar of Thebes, born around 518 BC in the village of Cynoscephalae near the great Boeotian city, would become the most celebrated lyric poet of classical antiquity, his verses preser…
“Man is a shadow's dream. Yet when a ray of sunshine comes given by God, a bright light rests on men and life is sweet.”
Neighbourhood:
Ancient & Classical Poets, Classical & Ancient Poets, Death & Mortality, Greek Poets, Poet-Musicians
Emotional landscape: Spirituality, Wonder, Joy
In the tumultuous landscape of seventeenth-century English literature, few figures shine with such early brilliance yet fade with such puzzling rapidity as Abraham Cowley. Born in 1618 in London, this prodigious poet who published his first collection at fifteen, who dazzled the cavalier court and influenced an entire generation of writers, who was buried in Westminster Abbey beside Chaucer and Spenser, somehow slipp…
“Custom is the plague of wise men and the idol of fools.”
Neighbourhood:
Cavalier Poets, Metaphysical Poets, Restoration Poets
Emotional landscape: Longing, Sorrow, Wonder
