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Michael Drayton (1563 - 1631 / Warwickshire / England)
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Drayton was born at Hartshill in Warwickshire and as a youth he became page to Sir Henry Goodere of Polesworth. He fell in love with Sir Henry's daughter, Anne, and worshipped her as 'Idea' in his poetry. Even after her marriage to Sir Henry Rainford he continued to celebrate her charms in verse, and he never married.
He had wanted to be a poet from the age of ten, and achieved his ambition through hard work and a succession of noble patrons, in spite of some ill-fortune. His first work was a verse paraphrase of parts of the Old Testament and Apocrypha, The Harmony of the Church. Ironically, the Harmony caused offence among the authorities and was banned. When James I became king ... more »
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Popular Poems
- Agincourt
- Endimion and Phoebe (excerpts)
- How Many Paltry Foolish Painted Things
- Idea LI: Calling to mind since first my ...
- Idea LIII: To the River Ancor
- Idea XX: An evil spirit, your beauty, ha...
- Idea XXXVII: Dear, why should you comman...
- Noah's Flood (excerpts)
- Nymphidia, The Court Of Fairy (excerpts)
- Ode to the Cambro-Britons and their Harp...
- Roc
- Sirena
- Sonnet I: Like an Advent'rous Seafarer
- Sonnet II: My Heart Was Slain
Quotations
more quotations »-
''Fair stood the wind for France,
Michael Drayton (1563-1631), British poet. Agincourt (l. 1-4). . . Family Book of Best Loved Poems, The. David L. George, ed. (1952) Doubleday & C...
When we our sails advance,
Nor now to prove our chance
Longer will tarry;''
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Upon Saint Crispin's day
Michael Drayton (1563-1631), British poet. Agincourt (l. 113-120). . . Family Book of Best Loved Poems, The. David L. George, ed. (1952) Doubleday...
Fought was this noble fray,
Which fame did not delay
To England to carry.
On when shall Englishmen
With such acts fill a pen,
Or Engl...
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No far-fetched sigh shall ever wound my breast,
Michael Drayton (1563-1631), British poet. Idea (sonnet 1, l. 5-10). . . The Anchor Anthology of Sixteenth Century Verse. Richard Sylvester, ed. (...
Love from mine eye a tear shall never wring,
Nor in Ah me's my whining sonnets dressed,
A libertine, fantastically I sing.
M...
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''Or if no thing but death will serve thy turn,
Michael Drayton (1563-1631), British poet. Idea (sonnet 63, l. 9-12). . . Sonnet, The; an Anthology. Robert M. Bender and Charles L. Squier, eds. ...
Still thirsting for subversion of my state,
Do what thou canst, raze, massacre, and burn,
Let the world see the utmost of thy hate;''
Comments about Michael Drayton
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I'm not sure how to use this...I am a new member and I'm interested in Michael Drayton's Sonnets. I logged in and requested them and I see the list on the screen, but now what do I do? Thanks so much.
Kate
I'm not sure how to use this...I am a new member and I'm interested in Michael Drayton's Sonnets. I logged in and requested them and I see the list on the screen, but now what do I do? Thanks so much.
Kate