There are several poets representative of this period, such as YAMABE no Akahito who wrote descriptive poetry depicting scenery and landscape, OTOMO no Tabito who wrote choka full of elegance and lyricism, YAMANOUE no Okura who wrote poems sympathetic to those facing hard times and the lower strata of society, TAKAHASHI no Mushimaro who wrote poems to show the true nature of various legends, and OTOMO no SAKANOUE no Iratsume who composed poems with the pathos of a woman.
代表的歌人は、自然の風景を描き出すような叙景歌に優れた山部赤人（やまべのあかひと）、風流で叙情にあふれる長歌を詠んだ大伴旅人、人生の苦悩と下層階級への暖かいまなざしをそそいだ山上憶良（やまのうえのおくら）、伝説のなかに本来の姿を見出す高橋虫麻呂（むしまろ）、女性の哀感を歌にした大伴坂上郎女（さかのうえのいらつめ）などである。