Waller, Edmund (1606-1687), was an English poet. He perfected an even-flowing form of verse, written mostly in iambic pentameter couplets. This form had a great influence on the poetry of the Augustan Age of English literature in the early 1700’s. Waller’s poems include panegyrics (poems of praise) to public figures, as well as courtly love lyrics. All his work was smooth and refined. Most of Waller’s poetry emphasized the elegant features of civilized life. Perhaps his best-known lyric is “Go, lovely rose” (1655).
Waller was born on March 3, 1606, into a wealthy country family in what is now Buckinghamshire. He suffered exile for his support of the king during the Puritan revolution, but was then pardoned by Parliament in 1651. Waller remained in favor with the court after the Restoration in 1660. He died on Oct. 21, 1687.
