Thomas Carew was the son of a well-connected official and was educated at Merton College, Oxford and the Middle Temple in London. He worked as a diplomatic secretary in Italy, Holland and France, and soon gained a reputation as a poet.
His talent secured him a place at court, and he was privileged to serve at Charles I's table. In 1634 his masque Coelum Britannicum was performed before the King. His poems, like those of other gentlemen of the era, were not published in his own lifetime but hand-written copies were circulated among his friends. These included Ben Jonson and John Donne, who both exercised a strong influence on Carew's poetry; in his Elegy Carew proclaims Donne 'the universal monarchy of wit'. Another poet he admired greatly was the Italian Giambattista Marino, whose wit and extravagant lifestyle resembled Carew's own.
Though he never achieved the stature of Donne or Johnson, Carew was an elegant writer whose contribution to literature was typical of the stylish Cavalier school. A collected edition of his poems appeared shortly after his death.
Poems by this Poet
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Parting, Celia Weeps | 29 November 2013 |
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On the Marriage of T. K. and C. C.: The Morning Stormy | 29 November 2013 |
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Upon Some Alterations in My Mistress, after My Departure into France | 19 May 2014 |
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To A.D., Unreasonable, Distrustful of Her Own Beauty | 19 May 2014 |
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Ingrateful Beauty Threatened | 31 July 2013 |
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To a Lady That Desired I Would Love Her | 5 September 2014 |
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To My Inconstant Mistress | 31 July 2013 |
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The Second Song | 5 September 2014 |
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Hymeneal Song, on the Nuptials of the Lady Ann Wentworth and the Lord Lovelace, An | 29 November 2013 |
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The True Beauty | 29 November 2013 |
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