Robert Chester (poet) facts for kids
Robert Chester was a writer who lived around 1601. He is known for his long poem called Love's Martyr. This poem was published in a collection that also included shorter poems by famous writers like William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and George Chapman.
Even today, we don't know much about Robert Chester. No one has been able to figure out exactly who he was. All we know is his name, the long poem he published, and a few other poems that were never printed. The meaning of his main poem is very hard to understand. It's also a mystery why so many famous poets added their own works to a book by someone so unknown.
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Who Was Robert Chester?
The only real clue about Robert Chester is that his poem was dedicated to Sir John Salusbury. Sir John was from Lleweni Hall in Wales and belonged to a powerful family. Some people think the poem was published to celebrate Sir John becoming a knight in June 1601.
For a while, some thought Chester was a man from Royston, England. But in 1913, a researcher named Carleton Brown suggested that Chester must have been very close to Sir John Salusbury in Wales. Chester's poems hint that he worked for Salusbury, maybe as a servant. Brown even found some of Chester's poems in the Salusbury family's old papers. One poem shows Chester comparing his own "hoarse-throat raven's song" to the "court beautifying poets" Sir John would have heard in London. This made Brown think Chester was a local employee in Salusbury's household.
More recently, in 2009, someone compared the signatures of the poet and the man from Royston. They found they were two different people. Chester also called himself a "British" poet, not "English." He was very interested in Geoffrey of Monmouth's stories about King Arthur. These clues, along with his link to Salusbury, strongly suggest he was Welsh.
Some experts believe Chester might have been Salusbury's local chaplain (a religious leader) or secretary. They think Chester and Salusbury enjoyed writing "mystical verse" with hidden puzzles. Sir John Salusbury was also a poet himself.
About the Poem Love's Martyr
How the Poem Was Published
Love's Martyr was first printed in 1601. It was published by Richard Field for a bookseller named Edward Blount. The book was later reissued in 1611 with a new title: The Anuals of great Brittaine. This new title made it sound like a history book. Only a few copies of the original and reissued versions still exist today.
The Poem's Mysterious Title
The full title of the first edition was:
Love's Martyr: or Rosalins Complaint. Allegorically shadowing the truth of Loue, in the constant Fate of the Phoenix and Turtle. A Poeme enterlaced with much varietie and raritie; now first translated out of the venerable Italian Torquato Caeliano, by Robert Chester. With the true legend of famous King Arthur the last of the nine Worthies, being the first Essay of a new Brytish Poet: collected out of diuerse Authenticall Records. To these are added some new compositions of seuerall moderne Writers whose names are subscribed to their seuerall workes, vpon the first subiect viz. the Phoenix and Turtle.
This title page says the poem was "translated" from an Italian poet named "Torquato Caeliano." But this poet is just as mysterious as Chester! No one has ever found an original Italian poem that Chester could have translated. "Caeliano" is not a known Italian poet. Some think Chester made up the name to hide the poem's true, personal meaning. The name might be a mix of two real Italian poets: Torquato Tasso and Livio Celiano.
Another puzzle is the alternative title "Rosalins Complaint." There's no character named "Rosalin" in the poem itself. This name might come from another famous poem, The Shepherd's Calendar by Edmund Spenser. This might also have been a private joke or meaning that only Chester and his friends understood.
What the Poem is About
Chester starts his poem with a short dedication to the Phoenix and the Turtledove. These birds are symbols of perfection and loyal love. He calls the Phoenix "Phoenix of beautie, beauteous, Bird of any."
The poem is a long story that uses symbols. It includes the story of King Arthur. The poem explores the special relationship between the Phoenix and the Turtledove.
The story begins with Nature, who sees the beautiful Phoenix about to die without having any children. The Phoenix is described like a human woman, not a bird. Nature asks the god Jupiter to help the Phoenix have a child. Jupiter tells Nature to bring the Phoenix to the "isle of Paphos" to meet the Turtledove. The Turtledove is sad because his lover has died. Jupiter gives Nature a magical "balm" to put on the Turtledove, which will make him fall in love with the Phoenix.
On the way to Paphos, Nature tells the story of King Arthur. She also talks about ancient British kings and explains the Welsh origins of British town names. Then, there's a long description of the plants and animals on Paphos island.
When they arrive, the Phoenix and the Turtledove fall in love. The Turtledove asks the Phoenix to forgive him for something he did wrong. Then, they decide to die together in a special fire. They build an altar to Apollo, the god of poetry. As they burn, the Phoenix is sad about the Turtledove's death. A pelican watching sees the Phoenix die. Then, a new, even more beautiful Phoenix rises from the flames!
After this main story, there are a series of "acrostic" love poems. An acrostic poem is one where the first letter of each line spells out a word or name. These poems are called "Cantos to the fair Phoenix made by Paphian Dove." They are supposed to be written by the Turtledove to the Phoenix. This suggests they had a long and complicated relationship. Other love poems follow, showing deep devotion to the Phoenix. It's not clear if Robert Chester wrote all these poems. Some experts think Sir John Salusbury might have written them.
Finally, the collection includes poems by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, George Chapman, and John Marston. These poems comment on the symbolism of the Phoenix and Turtledove. Shakespeare's poem, The Phoenix and the Turtle, says the birds died "leaving no posterity" (no children) because of their "married chastity" (pure love). John Marston seems to reply to Shakespeare, talking about the couple's "glorious issue" (their new child), which is the new Phoenix born from the flames. Chapman adds more details about their relationship, saying the Phoenix gave the Turtle "every variety of life."
