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Epithalamion
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Epithalamion

poem by Spenser
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Article History

Epithalamion, marriage ode by Edmund Spenser, originally published with his sonnet sequence Amoretti in 1595. The poem celebrates Spenser’s marriage in 1594 to his second wife, Elizabeth Boyle, and it may have been intended as a culmination of the sonnets of Amoretti. Taken as a whole, the group of poems is unique among Renaissance sonnet sequences in recording a successful love affair culminating in marriage. Epithalamion is considered by many to be the best of Spenser’s minor poems.

The 24-stanza poem begins with the predawn invocation of the Muses and follows the events of the wedding day. The speaker, reflecting on the private moments of the bride and groom, concludes with a prayer for the fruitfulness of the marriage. The mood of the poem is hopeful, thankful, and very sunny.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.