1612 in poetry

Works

Great Britain">English poetry">Great Britain

• George Chapman, translator, Petrarchs Seven Penitentiall Psalms, Paraphrastically Translated
• William Corkine, Second Booke of Ayres, some to sing and play to the Basse-Violl alone: others to be sung to the Lute and Bass Viollin, including "Break of Day" by John Donne
• John Davies, The Muses Sacrifice
• John Donne, Anniversaries |The First Anniversarie, An Anatomie of the World The Second Anniversarie. Of the Progres of the Soule, anonymously published together, although The Second Anniversarie has a separate, dated, title page
• John Dowland, A Pilgrimes Solace, verse and music
• Michael Drayton, Poly-Olbion, Part I, a topographical poem describing England and Wales; with notes by John Selden
• Orlando Gibbons, First Set of Madrigals and Mottets
• Richard Johnson, A Crowne-Garland of Goulden Roses, Gathered Out of Englands Royal GardenThe Passionate Pilgrim, expanded edition, anthology
• Henry Peacham, the younger, Minerva Britannia; or, A Garden of Heroical Devises
• Samuel Rowlands:
• * The Knave of Cubbes, published anonymously; the first edition, titled A Merry Meeting, published 1600 but was ordered burned
• * The Knave of Harts, published anonymously
• "W.S.", A Funeral Elegy for Master William Peter
• John Taylor, ''The Sculler''

On the death of Prince Henry

• Sir William Alexander, An Elegie on the Death of Prince Henrie, on the death of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
• Joshua Sylvester, Lachrimae Lachrimarum; or, The Distillation of Teares Shede for the Untimely Death of the Incomparable Prince Panaretus, also includes poems in English, French, Latin and Italian by Walter Quin
• George Wither, ''Prince Henries Obsequies; or, Mournefull Elegies Upon his Death''

Other

• Luis de Góngora - Fábula de Polifemo y Galatea Spain
• Jean Vauquelin de La Fresnaye, Les Œuvres, published posthumously in Caen, France

Births

• February 8 - Samuel Butler, English
• March - Sir Thomas Salusbury, 2nd Baronet, Welsh politician and poet
• March 4 - Jan Vos, Dutch playwright and poet
• March 20 - Anne Bradstreet, née Dudley, "the chief poetess of Colonial America", English-born Puritan poet
• October 15 - Isaac de Benserade, French playwright and court poet, a member of the Académie française in 1674
• October 25 - James Graham, 5th Earl and 1st Marquis of Montrose soldier and poet
• Also:
• * Edward King, Irish poet who wrote in Latin in England; a friend of John Milton
• * Zhou Lianggong, Chinese poet, essayist and art historian
• * Łukasz Opaliński, Polish nobleman, poet, writer and political activist

Deaths

• May 20 - William Fowler, Scottish-born poet, writer, courtier and translator
• July 24 - John Salusbury, Welsh knight, politician and poet
• October - Juan de la Cueva, Spanish dramatist and poet
• October 7 - Giovanni Battista Guarini, Italian poet, dramatist and diplomat
• November 20 - Sir John Harington, English courtier, author, poet and inventor of a flush toilet
• Also - Ercole Bottrigari, Italian scholar, mathematician, poet, music theorist, architect and composer