1786 in poetry

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

United Kingdom

 * Jane Bowdler, Poems and Essays, "By a Lady Lately Deceased", 17 editions by 1830)
 * Robert Burns, Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (see also Poems 1787 and 1793) Including:
 * "Epitaph for James Smith"
 * "To A Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest, with the Plough"
 * "To a Mountain Daisy"
 * "Address to the Deil"
 * Hannah Cowley, The Scottish Village; or, Pitcairn Green
 * Samuel Rogers, An Ode to Superstition, with Some Other Poems, published anonymously
 * Helen Maria Williams, Poems
 * John Wolcot, writing under the pen name "Peter Pindar":
 * Bozzy and Piozzi; or, The British Biographers, 19 editions by 1788
 * Farewel Odes. For the Year 1786 (published with the title as spelled here)
 * A Poetical and Congratulatory Epistle to James Boswell

United States

 * Philip Freneau, The Poems of Philip Freneau, Written Chiefly During the late War, United States
 * Joseph Brown Ladd, The Poems of Arouet
 * John Parke, The Lyric Works of Horace [...] to Which Are Added a Number of Original Poems [...], poetry, drama and prose; including "Ovid's Elegies and Anacreon's Odes", translations by David French (poet), United States

Other languages

 * Solomon Gessner, works, translated into French from the original German of the Swiss poet; in three volumes, published starting this year, with the last volume published in 1793

Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * June 20 – Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (died 1859), French
 * October 23 – Barron Field (died 1846), Anglo-Australian judge and poet
 * November 21 – Bryan Procter, also known as Barry Cornwall, (died 1874), English poet
 * Also:
 * Alexander Chavchavadze, Georgian poet, god-son of Catherine the Great (died 1846)

Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:
 * John Collier (born 1708), English caricaturist and satirical poet known by the pseudonym "Tim Bobbin" or "Timothy Bobbin"
 * Jupiter Hammon (born 1711), African-American poet
 * Edward Thompson (poet)
 * Petronella Johanna de Timmerman (born 1723), Dutch poet