Metaphysical poets English poetry. Colin Burrow's opinion, on the other hand, is that the term 'Metaphysical poets' still retains some value. For one thing, Donne's poetry had considerable influence on subsequent poets, who emulated his style. And there are several instances in which 17th-century poets used the word 'metaphysical' in their work, meaning that Samuel Johnson's description has some foundation in the usage of the previous century. However, the term does isolate English poets from those who shared similar stylistic traits in Europe and America. Since the 1960s, therefore, it has been argued that gathering all of these under the heading of
Richard Leigh (poet) Richard Leigh (poet) Richard Leigh (1650–1728) was an English poet of gentry stock. His work is regarded as metaphysical poetry. He engaged in a pamphlet dispute with John Dryden. He was the younger son of Sir Edward Leigh (1603–1671), of Rushall, Staffordshire (a scion of the ancient family of West Hall, High Legh, Cheshire and a cousin of the Lords Leigh), and Elizabeth Talbot (died 1707), a relative of the Earls of Shrewsbury. In 1666, aged sixteen, he entered Queen's College, Oxford. Sources rumor that, after university, Leigh left Oxford for London and became an actor in the Duke of