author
William Browne
b. 1590
A lyrical voice from early 17th-century England, this Devon-born poet is best remembered for pastoral verse filled with landscapes, song, and a deep affection for the natural world. His work helped carry the English pastoral tradition from Spenser toward later poets who admired richly descriptive writing.
1 Audiobook
Pastoral Poems by Nicholas Breton, Selected Poetry by George Wither, and Pastoral Poetry by William Browne (of Tavistock)
by Nicholas Breton, William Browne, George Wither
About the author
Born around 1590 in Tavistock, Devon, William Browne was an English poet associated with the pastoral tradition. He studied at Exeter College, Oxford, and later entered the Inner Temple, though he is remembered far more for poetry than for any legal career.
His best-known work is Britannia's Pastorals, published in parts beginning in 1613, along with his contribution to The Shepheards Pipe in 1614. Browne's writing is known for its musical style, its love of the English countryside, and its generous descriptive detail.
Exact details of his life remain somewhat uncertain, including the year of his birth and death, which are usually given as about 1590 and about 1645. Even so, his poems have kept his name alive as one of the notable pastoral poets of the early Stuart period.