Poems: Volumes 85 and 86

The final two volumes in the CWE contain an edition and translation of Erasmus’s poetry. For Erasmus scholars this work affords the first opportunity to evaluate and analyse Erasmus’ poems in English. And for those interested in Renaissance and Reformation poetry in general, these offer an intriguing look at the work of one of the towering figures of the period writing in a genre that was, for him, unusual.

The annotations include a path-breaking commentary piece by Harry Vredeveld on Erasmus’ most famous poem, “Poem on the Trouble of Old Age.‘ Another important feature is the appearance of the original Latin of each poem alongside the English translation.