Poeta De Tristibus; Or, The Poet's Complaint

Poeta De Tristibus; Or, The Poet's Complaint is a satirical poem published in 1681 during England's Restoration era, authored anonymously. It critiques the struggles faced by poets, addressing themes of poverty, artistic frustration, and the lack of societal respect for their craft. The poem unfolds over four cantos, where the speaker, a poet in exile due to financial woes, reflects on the disparity between the thriving merchant class and the poet's plight, ultimately revealing a deep disillusionment with both poetry and society's undervaluation of it.