John Dryden

Birth: 1631-08-09 , Aldwincle

Death: 1700-05-01 , Londres

John Dryden (1631-1700) was an English poet, playwright, and literary critic. A dominant figure in the literary life of Restoration England, he was appointed the first Poet Laureate in 1668. His work spans a wide range of genres, including satire, religious poetry, plays, and translations. Dryden is known for his mastery of the heroic couplet and his influence on English poetry and drama. He became a master of the English language, shaping its development through his clear and powerful prose and verse. His work often reflects the political and religious turmoil of his time.

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The soft complaining flute, In dying notes, discovers The woes of hopeless lovers.

The trumpet’s loud clangor Excites us to arms.

What passion cannot Music raise and quell?

Then cold, and hot, and moist, and dry, In order to their stations leap, And Music’s power obey. From harmony, from heavenly harmony, This universal frame began: From harmony to harmony Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in Man.

Her wit was more than man, her innocence a child.

Since heaven’s eternal year is thine.

O gracious God! how far have we Profaned thy heavenly gift of poesy!

Happy the man, and happy he alone, He who can call today his own; He who, secure within, can say, Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have liv’d today.

Not heaven itself upon the past has power; But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.

And torture one poor word ten thousand ways.

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John Dryden was born on August 9, 1631, in Aldwincle, Northamptonshire. Educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, he became involved with the London literary scene in the mid-1650s. His career was marked by a remarkable ability to adapt to political changes, which earned him patronage and official positions. He became one of the most influential writers of his time, known for his incisive satires such as 'Mac Flecknoe' and his adaptations of classics. His work as a translator of Virgil and Ovid was also highly acclaimed. Dryden died on May 12, 1700, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His work continues to be studied and appreciated for its poetic beauty, wit, and historical insight.