Ruǎn Jí was a Chinese musician and poet who lived during the 3rd century, a time also known as the Three Kingdoms period or the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is recorded as being a member of a group of musicians and writers called the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. One of his most famous pieces of work was a Guqin melody whose title in English ...
Juan del Encina was a Spanish poet, playwright and musical composer whose name is also sometimes recorded as Juan del Enzina. He holds the prestigious honour of being one of the founders of Spanish drama, along with a Portuguese troubadour and writer named Gil Vicente. He was born Juan de Fermoselle on the 12th July 1468 somewhere near the north western city of Salamanca. ...
Juan Ruiz was a famous Castilian poet of medieval times who is also known as the Archpriest of Hita. Amongst the many poems against his name is, perhaps, his most famous composition, a ribald piece called Libro de buen amor which translates as The Book of Good Love. A manuscript extract from it is illustrated above. It is widely believed that this piece of work was completed in 1343 ...
Joseph Rodman Drake was one of the early American Romantic poets who made a notable contribution to his country’s literature during his all too short life. He also practiced as a physician until his life was tragically cut short when he fell victim to consumption in his mid-twenties. He was born on the 7th August 1795 in New York City. His early family circumstances ...
John Sheffield was an aristocratic English poet and politician of the late Stuart period. Although sometimes known as Lord Mulgrave, which was his original title, his full title was the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normandy with post-nominals of KG and PC. He rose to great heights in the Tory party, serving as Lord Privy Seal and Lord President of the Privy ...
