An epistolary poem, also called a verse letter or letter poem, is a poem

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 in the form of an epistle

Epistle

An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...

 or letter.

History

Epistolary poems date at least as early as the Roman poet Ovid

Ovid

Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...

 (43 BC – 17 or 18 AD), who wrote the Heroides

Heroides

The Heroides , or Epistulae Heroidum , are a collection of fifteen epistolary poems composed by Ovid in Latin elegiac couplets, and presented as though written by a selection of aggrieved heroines of Greek and Roman mythology, in address to their heroic lovers who have in some way mistreated,...

(The Heroines) or Epistulae Heroidum (Letters of Heroines), a collection of fifteen epistolary poems presented as though written by a selection of aggrieved hero

Hero

A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...

ines of Greek

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

 and Roman mythology

Roman mythology

Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...

, addressing their heroic lovers who have in some way mistreated, neglected, or abandoned them. Ovid extended this with the Double Heroides

Double Heroides

The Double Heroides are a set of six epistolary poems allegedly composed by Ovid in Latin elegiac couplets, following the fifteen poems of his Heroides, and numbered 16 to 21 in modern scholarly editions...

consisting of three separate exchanges of paired epistles, one each from a heroic lover to his absent beloved and from the heroine in return.

A number of epistolary poems were published as separate works in England during the so-called "long eighteenth century", i.e., about 1688 - 1815.

Examples

Examples of epistolary poems include:

• Fridugisus
  Fridugisus
  Fridugisus, also known as Fredegisus or Fredegis of Tours , was a monk, teacher, and writer....
  
   (8th century)
• Baldric of Dol
  Baldric of Dol
  Baldric of Dol was abbot of Bourgueil from 1079 to 1106, then bishop of Dol-en-Bretagne from 1107 until his death....
  
   (c. 1050 - 1130)
• William Pittis & Nahum Tate
  Nahum Tate
  Nahum Tate was an Irish poet, hymnist, and lyricist, who became England's poet laureate in 1692.-Life:Nahum Teate came from a family of Puritan clergymen...
  
  , An epistolary poem to N. Tate, Esquire, and poet laureat to His Majesty, occasioned by the taking of Namur, London, R. Baldwin, 1696
• William Pittis, An epistolary poem to John Dryden
  John Dryden
  John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
  
  , Esq: occasion'd by the much lamented death of the Right Honourable James Earl of Abingdon, London, H. Walwyn, 1699.
• Ricard Butler, A.M., British Michael: an epistolary poem, to a friend in the country, London, J. Matthews, 1710.
• James Belcher, A cat may look upon a king: An epistolary poem, on the loss of the ears of a favourite female cat, Dublin, 1732.
• T R; Charles Cathcart, Lord, An epistolary poem to a lady on the present expedition of Lord Cathcart, London, Olive Payne, 1740.
• George Canning, An epistolary poem: supposed to be written by Lord William Russell
  William Russell, Lord Russell
  William Russell, Lord Russell was an English politician. He was a leading member of the Country Party, forerunners of the Whigs, who opposed the succession of James II during the reign of Charles II, ultimately resulting in his execution for treason.-Early life and marriage:Russell was the third...
  
  , to Lord William Cavendish
  William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire
  William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire KG PC was a soldier and Whig statesman, the son of William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshire and Lady Elizabeth Cecil.-Life:...
  
  ; from the prison of Newgate
  Newgate Prison
  Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
  
  , ... the 20th of July, 1683, in the evening before the execution of that virtuous and patriotic nobleman, ... under the false pretext of his being concerned in the pretended ... , London, R. H. Westley, 1793.
• The conduct of man. A didactic epistolary poem, London, C. Chapple, 1811.
• Richard Hugo
  Richard Hugo
  Richard Hugo , born Richard Hogan, was an American poet. Primarily a regionalist, Hugo's work reflects the economic depression of the Northwest, particularly Montana. Born in White Center, Washington, he was raised by his mother's parents after his father left the family...
  
   (1923–1982)
• Donald Hall
  Donald Hall
  Donald Hall is an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2006.-Personal life:...
  
   (b. 1928)
• Harold Pinter
  Harold Pinter
  Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
  
  (1930–2008), "Joseph Brearley 1909–1977 (Teacher of English)"