Encyclopedia.com > Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Transcripts, and Maps > The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature > January 2003

Poly-Olbion, The

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | 696 words | Copyright

Poly-Olbion, The (this is the spelling of the 1st edn), the most ambitious work of Drayton. It was written between 1598 and 1622 and consists of thirty ‘Songs’ each of 300–500 lines, in hexameter couplets, in which the author endeavours to awaken his readers to the beauties and glories of their country.

During his travels he describes the principal topographical features of the country, interspersing in the appropriate places legends, fragments of history, catalogues of British saints and hermits, of great discoverers, of birds, fishes, and plants with their properties. The word ‘poly-olbion’ (from the Greek) means ‘having many blessings’.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Poly-Olbion, The." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Poly-Olbion, The." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-PolyOlbionThe.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Poly-Olbion, The." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-PolyOlbionThe.html

Learn more about citation styles

Find thousands of answers for hundreds of subjects at Answers Encyclopedia .

All answers verified by trusted sources at Encyclopedia.com

Try Answers Encyclopedia now!

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including: