1785 in poetry

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

Events

 * April 14 - Death of English poet William Whitehead in London. Reverend Thomas Warton succeeds him as Poet Laureate of Great Britain after the refusal of William Mason.
 * May 22 - Scottish poet Robert Burns' first child, Elizabeth ("Dear-bought Bess"), is born to his mother's servant, Elizabeth Paton.

United Kingdom

 * Samuel Egerton Brydges, Sonnets and other Poems, published anonymously
 * Robert Burns, "To A Mouse", "Halloween"
 * Colman, George, and Bonnell Thornton, eds. Poems by the most eminent ladies of Great Britain and Ireland. Re-published from the collection of G. Colman and B. Thornton, Esqrs., with considerable alterations, additions, and improvements. London: W. Stafford, 1785: 2nd ed. of one of the earliest anthologies of women's writing in English
 * William Combe, The Royal Dream; or, The P[rince] in a Panic, published anonymously
 * William Cowper, The Task, Volume 2 of Poems, in addition to the title poem, the book includes "The Diverting History of John Gilpin" (a poem first published in 1782), "An Epistle to Joseph Hill, Esq.", "Tirocinium; or, A Review of Schools" (first volume of Poems published 1782, Poems 1815)
 * George Crabbe, The News-Paper
 * William Hayley, A Philosophical, Historical and Moral Essay on Old Maids
 * Samuel Johnson, The Works of Samuel Johnson, poetry and prose in 11 volumes (another two volumes published in 1787 and another in 1788)
 * Hannah More, Sensibility: A Poetical Epistle, United Kingdom
 * Edward Lovibond, Poems on Several Occasions
 * Charles Wilkins (translator), Bhagvat-geeta, or Dialogues of Kreeshna and Arjoon
 * John Wolcot, writing under the pen name "Peter Pindar":
 * The Lousiad, Canto 1 (Canto 2 published 1787, Canto 3 in 1791, Canto 4 in 1792, Canto 5 in 1795)
 * Lyric Odes, for the Year 1785
 * Ann Yearsley, Poems, on Several Occasions

Works published in other languages

 * János Bacsanyi, The Valour of the Magyars, Hungary
 * Jens Baggesen, Comic Tales, written in imitation of Voltaire; Denmark
 * Friedrich Schiller, Ode to Joy, Germany

Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * January 13 - Samuel Woodworth (died 1842), American author, literary journalist, playwright, librettist and poet
 * March 7 - Alessandro Manzoni (died 1873), Italian poet and novelist
 * April 4 - Bettina von Arnim (died 1859), German writer, poet, composer and novelist
 * April 6 - John Pierpont (died 1866), American poet, teacher, lawyer, merchant and Congregational minister
 * October 18 - Thomas Love Peacock (died 1866), English satirical novelist and writer
 * November 13 - Lady Caroline Lamb, born the Honourable Caroline Ponsonby (died 1828), English aristocrat, novelist and poet best known for her affair with Lord Byron
 * Also:
 * Bhojo Bhagat (died 1850), Indian, Gujarati-language devotional poet
 * Gopala Krishna Pattanayak (died 1862), Indian, Oriya-language poet

Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * January 19 - Zaharije Orfelin (born 1726), Serbian educator, administrator, poet, engraver, lexicographer, herbalist, historian, winemaker, translator, editor, publisher, polemicist and traveler
 * April 14 - William Whitehead (born 1715), English poet and playwright
 * April 26 - Karl Siegmund von Seckendorff (born 1744), German
 * April 27 - Henry Taylor (born 1711), Church of England clergyman, author and poet
 * September 17 - Antoine Léonard Thomas (born 1732), French poet
 * November 25 - Richard Glover (born 1712), English poet
 * December 29 - Johan Herman Wessel (born 1742), Norwegian poet