{\b Andrew Marvell}.

{\b Date of Birth}.: 31 March 1621

{\b Date of Death}.: 18 August 1678

{\b Works}.

English poet. His early work had echoes of Cavalier poets like Lovelace and 
Cleveland, but he is now regarded as one of the best metaphysical poets. His 
finest poems include The Garden, Upon Appleton House, An Horatian Ode: Upon 
Cromwell's Return from Ireland. He wrote prose and verse satires which were 
the best before Dryden's, but are no longer well known. His reputation as a 
lyric poet is built on To His Coy Mistress, a classic in metaphysical poetry 
and ranked alongside the best secular poems of John Donne.

{\b Featured Works}.

'The Garden', 'Bermudas', 'The Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return from 
Ireland', 'To His Coy Mistress', 'The Definition of Love', 'The Fair Singer', 
'On a Drop of Dew', 'The Mower to the Glow-Worms', 'The Nymph Complaining for 
the Death of Her Fawn', 'Garden of Appleton House', 'The Picture of Little T.C. in a
Prospect of Flowers', 'The Match'.

{\b General Comment}.

Well known in his time as a politician rather than as a poet, Marvell was born 
at Winstead, Yorkshire, and educated at Cambridge where he received his 
Batchelor of Arts degree in 1638. He travelled abroad from 1642-46 and later 
became the tutor of Mary Fairfax, daughter of Sir Thomas Fairfax who was 
Lord-General of the parliamentary forces. He also tutored Cromwell's ward, 
William Dutton, from 1653-57. He was then appointed as John Milton's assistant 
in the office of Latin Secretary for the Commonwealth. In 1659 he became 
Member of Parliament for Hull and served in that capacity until his death. 
Most of his serious work was only found and published after his death. He was 
seen as a champion of tolerance because he did not take sides in religion or 
politics during the civil unrest of his time. His reputation has grown 
steadily from that of being Milton's friend to that of a great poet in his own 
right.