The Nine Muses
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''The Nine Muses, Or, Poems Written by Nine severall Ladies Upon the death of the late Famous
John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...
, Esq.'' (London: Richard Basset, 1700) was an
elegiac The adjective ''elegiac'' has two possible meanings. First, it can refer to something of, relating to, or involving, an elegy or something that expresses similar mournfulness or sorrow. Second, it can refer more specifically to poetry composed in ...
volume of
poetry 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 i ...
published pseudonymously. The contributors were English women writers, each of whom signed their poems with the name of one of the
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
s. The collection was edited by
Delarivier Manley Delarivier "Delia" Manley (1663 or c. 1670 – 24 July 1724) was an English author, playwright, and political pamphleteer. Manley is sometimes referred to, with Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood, as one of " the fair triumvirate of wit", which is a ...
(who wrote as " Melpomene" and " Thalia") and includes pieces by Susanna Centlivre ("perhaps," according to Blain et al.),Blain, Virginia, et al. '' The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present''. New Haven/London: Yale UP, 1990. Sarah Fyge Egerton (" Erato", " Euterpe", and "
Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; grc-gre, Τερψιχόρη, "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance ...
"),
Mary Pix Mary Pix (1666 – 17 May 1709) was an English novelist and playwright. As an admirer of Aphra Behn and colleague of Susanna Centlivre, Pix has been called "a link between women writers of the Restoration and Augustan periods". Early years ...
("
Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί ...
"), Catherine Trotter ("
Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; grc, Καλλιόπη, Kalliópē, beautiful-voiced) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muse ...
"), and
Sarah Piers Sarah, Lady Piers ( fl. 1697 – 1714; died 1719) was an English literary patron, political commentator, and a poet. Her father was originally of Roydon in Yorkshire. She was the daughter of Matthew Roydon and wife of Sir George Piers (1670–172 ...
("
Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...
"). The poet writing as "Polimnia" (the Muse of Rhetorick) has not been identified; her initials are "Mrs. D. E."


Etext

*Transcription of ''The Nine muses, or, Poems written by nine several ladies upon the death of the late famous John Dryden, Esq'' (1700)
Oxford Text Archive


Notes


References

*Blain, Virginia, et al. '' The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present''. New Haven/London: Yale UP, 1990. *Buck, Claire, ed. ''The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature''. New York: Prentice Hall, 1992. 862-863. *Medoff, Jeslyn. "New Light on Sarah Fyge (Field, Egerton)." ''Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature'' 1.2. (Autumn 1982):155-175. *"Urania: The Divine Muse. On the Death of John Dryden, Esq. By the Honourable the Lady P ers" ''Kissing the Rod: An Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Women's Verse''. Germaine Greer et al., eds. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1988. 448-451. English poetry 1700 works Greek Muses Literature by women {{poetry-collection-stub