This is the first comprehensive study in English of one of the most important bodies of verse in European literature. Seventeenth-century Spanish poetry represents the culmination of a rich Renaissance tradition, and Professor Terry sets out to make this accessible not only to Hispanists but also to readers of English, French and Italian poetry, with which it had many points of contact. He deals both with the major poets of the period and with their numerous lesser-known contemporaries, paying close attention to individual poems, and providing English translations for all quotations. The book also raises important general issues in the light of recent criticism.