''Englands Helicon'' is an
anthology of
Elizabethan pastoral poems
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...
compiled by
John Flasket, and first published in 1600. There was an enlarged edition in 1614. The word
Helicon refers to the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
mountain on which, in
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
, two springs sacred to the
Muses were located.
The poets involved cannot all be identified, since there are a number of poems marked as 'anonymous'. The others were written by
Edmund Bolton,
William Byrd
William Byrd (; 4 July 1623) was an English composer of late Renaissance music. Considered among the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he had a profound influence on composers both from his native England and those on the continent. He ...
,
Henry Chettle
Henry Chettle (c. 1564 – c. 1606) was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era, best known for his pamphleteering.
Early life
The son of Robert Chettle, a London dyer, he was apprenticed in 1577 and became a m ...
,
Michael Drayton
Michael Drayton (1563 – 23 December 1631) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. He died on 23 December 1631 in London.
Early life
Drayton was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothin ...
,
Robert Greene,
Christopher Marlowe,
Anthony Munday,
George Peele,
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebelli ...
,
Henry Constable
Henry Constable (1562 – 9 October 1613) was an English poet, known particularly for ''Diana'', one of the first English sonnet sequences. In 1591 he converted to Catholicism, and lived in exile on the continent for some years. He returned to E ...
,
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
,
Edward de Vere,
Philip Sidney
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
,
Edmund Spenser,
John Wootton
John Wootton (c.1686– 13 November 1764)Deuchar, S. (2003). "Wootton, John". Grove Art Online. was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator.
Life
Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire (near Stratfo ...
,
William Smith. The most celebrated poem is Marlowe's 'Come live with me and be my love'. This and several other lyrics have musical settings extant, in this case by
William Corkine.
Poets of the anthology
File:William Byrd.jpg, William Byrd
File:Philip Sidney portrait.jpg, Philip Sidney
File:Edward-de-Vere-1575.jpg, Edward de Vere
File:Portrait of Christopher Marlowe.png, Christopher Marlowe
File:Shakespeare.jpg, William Shakespeare
External links
*1925 reprint a
Archive.org
*1899 edition with modernized spelling a
Google Books
1600 books
1614 books
English poetry anthologies
16th-century poetry books
17th-century poetry books
{{England-stub