Sir Philip Sidney was the grandson of the Duke of Northumberland and the son of one of Queen Elizabeth I’s ladies-in-waiting. Sidney was born in Kent and educated at Shrewsbury School and Oxford University. As a young man, he traveled to France, Germany, and Italy and joined Queen Elizabeth’s court. Sidney died of gangrene at the age of 32 after sustaining a battle wound in the Netherlands. None of his work was published during his lifetime.
More By This Poet
Sonnet 1
Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,
That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain,
Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know,
Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain,—
I sought fit words...
Song from Arcadia: “My True Love Hath My Heart”
My true-love hath my heart and I have his,
By just exchange one for the other given:
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss;
There never was a bargain better driven.
His heart in me keeps me and him in one;
My heart...