Friedrich Rudolph Ludwig von Canitz is one of those rare poets who never attempted to publish a poem and who would have been amazed at the high esteem in which critics hold his work. Yet the slim volume Neben-Stunden unterschiedener Gedichte (Poems of Leisure Hours, 1700), which appeared anonymously the year after the poet's death, was destined to usher in a new era in German verse. With his unaffected diction and almost proselike style Canitz combined reflectiveness, sophistication, and wit. Critics were reminded of the best of Martin Opitz's works and relished a new touch of elegance in Canitz's poetry. In addition, Canitz's satiric bent, coupled with a love of personal freedom and a preference for rustic simplicity over the splendor of courtly living, established him as a modern Horace. Although his name did not appear on the title page of Neben-Stunden unterschiedener Gedichte until 1719, the poet's identity became...