Spenser， Edmund （1552-1599）， great English poet， who is most famous for his long allegorical romance， The Faerie Queene. Spenser was born in London. In 1579 he met English poet Sir Philip Sidney， to whom he dedicated his first major poem， The Shepheardes Calendar （1579）。 This work demonstrates the great poetic flexibility of the English language.

　　While residing with the Earl of Leicester in London， Spenser began to write The Faerie Queene. In 1580 he moved to Ireland， where he finished the allegory. In 1589 he was visited by English writer and adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh， who recognized the merit of the poem and brought Spenser to England to publish it. Spenser received an enthusiastic reception， and his poem was hailed on the publication of its first three books in 1590. In 1594 Spenser wrote “Epithalamion，” a wedding song in celebration of his recent marriage.

　　Spenser's reputation rests mainly on his skillful blending of religious and historical allegory with chivalric romance in The Faerie Queene. The six completed books relate the adventures of 12 knights who represented the qualities of holiness， temperance， chastity， friendship， justice， and courtesy. Throughout the narrative， the figure of Arthur， the perfect knight， also appears. The melodious verse， combined with Spenser's sensuous imagery and deliberate use of archaic language， create a complex panorama of great splendor.