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 in 1603 Drayton angled for royal favour with To the Majesty of King James: a Gratulatory Poem. Unfortunately he omitted to include the customary tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, and this gaffe probably cost him an appointment at court.
In spite of this setback, Drayton had a fairly successful career as a poet, and he counted Ben Jonson and William Drummond of Hawthornden among his friends.
Poems by this Poet
Poem |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Amour 9 - | 5 September 2014 |
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| Amouret Anacreontick, An | 19 May 2014 |
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| And as our God the beasts had given in charge | 19 May 2014 |
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| And every bird shew'd in his proper kind | 5 September 2014 |
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| And thus like slaves we sell our soules to sinne | 5 September 2014 |
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| And, now that every thing may in the proper place | 19 May 2014 |
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| Ankor tryumph, upon whose blessed shore | 5 September 2014 |
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| Away yee barb'rous woods; how ever yee be plac't | 19 May 2014 |
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| Barons Warres, The - Canto 1 | 19 May 2014 |
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| Barons Warres, The - Canto 2 | 19 May 2014 |
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