1580 in poetry

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).

Great Britain

 * Anonymous, The Buik of Alexander, publication year uncertain, written in Middle Scots in 1438; erroneously attributed to John Barbour, a close translation of two French original works from the Middle Ages
 * George Buchanan, Paraphrasis psalmorum Davidis, in Latin
 * Thomas Churchyard, A Pleasaunte Laborinth Called Churchyardes Chance
 * Humphrey Gifford, A Poste of Gilloflowrs, prose and poetry; Part 1 translated from Italian and French; Part 2 in verse
 * Anthony Munday, The Paine of Pleasure

Other

 * Fernando de Herrera, Anotaciones, criticism, Spain
 * Philippe Desportes, an edition of his works; France
 * Jan Kochanowski, Laments (Treny) ("Thredonies"), Poland
 * Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered (La Gerusalemme liberata), 14 cantos in pirated edition, Italy

Births

 * April 18 – Thomas Middleton, English (died 1627) English playwright and poet
 * June 9 – Daniël Heinsius (died 1655), Dutch scholar writing Latin and Dutch poetry
 * September 14 – Francisco de Quevedo (died 1645), nobleman, politician and one of the most prominent Spanish poets of the age
 * October 12 – Hortensio Félix Paravicino (died 1633), Spanish preacher and poet
 * November 9 – Johannes Narssius (died 1637), Dutch-born New Latin poet, physician and Remonstrant minister
 * Also:
 * Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig (died 1652), Irish Gaelic scholar and poet
 * Thomas Ford (died 1648), English composer, lutenist, viol player and poet
 * Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (died 1621), Portuguese poet and bucolic writer
 * Daniel Pribiš (died 1645), Slovak
 * Francisco Rodrigues Lobo, born about this year (died 1622), Portuguese
 * John Webster (died 1634), English Jacobean dramatist and poet

Deaths

 * June 10 – Luís de Camões, sometimes rendered in English as "Luis de Camoens", died (born about 1524), perhaps the most highly regarded Portuguese poet
 * June 22 – Hernando de Acuna died (born c. 1520), Spanish
 * Also:
 * Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz (born 1500), Greek kabbalist and poet
 * Wu Cheng'en died 1580 or 1582 (born 1500 or 1505), Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty
 * Robin Clidro (born 1545), Welsh language poet and itinerant poet
 * Sebastián de Horozco (born 1510), Spanish poet and playwright
 * Thomas Tusser (born 1524), English