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

• Anonymous, The Buik of Alexander, publication year uncertain, written in Middle Scots in 1438; erroneously attributed to John Barbour, a close translation of two French original works from the Middle Ages^[1]
• George Buchanan, Paraphrasis psalmorum Davidis, in Latin^[1]
• Thomas Churchyard, A Pleasaunte Laborinth Called Churchyardes Chance^[1]
• Humphrey Gifford, A Poste of Gilloflowrs, prose and poetry; Part 1 translated from Italian and French; Part 2 in verse^[1]
• Anthony Munday, The Paine of Pleasure^[1]

• Fernando de Herrera, Anotaciones, criticism, Spain^[2]
• Philippe Desportes, an edition of his works; France^[3]
• Jan Kochanowski, Laments (Treny) ("Thredonies"), Poland^[2]
• Torquato Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered (La Gerusalemme liberata), 14 cantos in pirated edition, Italy

• April 18 – Thomas Middleton, English (died 1627) English playwright and poet
• June 9 – Daniël Heinsius (died 1655), Dutch scholar writing Latin and Dutch poetry
• September 14 – Francisco de Quevedo (died 1645), nobleman, politician and one of the most prominent Spanish poets of the age
• October 12 – Hortensio Félix Paravicino (died 1633), Spanish preacher and poet
• November 9 – Johannes Narssius (died 1637), Dutch-born New Latin poet, physician and Remonstrant minister
• Also:
  • Brian Mac Giolla Phádraig (died 1652), Irish Gaelic scholar and poet
  • Thomas Ford (died 1648), English composer, lutenist, viol player and poet
  • Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (died 1621), Portuguese poet and bucolic writer
  • Daniel Pribiš (died 1645), Slovak
  • Francisco Rodrigues Lobo, born about this year (died 1622), Portuguese
  • John Webster (died 1634), English Jacobean dramatist and poet

• June 10 – Luís de Camões, sometimes rendered in English as "Luis de Camoens", died (born about 1524), perhaps the most highly regarded Portuguese poet
• June 22 – Hernando de Acuna died (born c. 1520), Spanish
• Also:
  • Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz (born 1500), Greek kabbalist and poet
  • Wu Cheng'en died 1580 or 1582 (born 1500 or 1505), Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty
  • Robin Clidro (born 1545), Welsh language poet and itinerant poet
  • Sebastián de Horozco (born 1510), Spanish poet and playwright
  • Thomas Tusser (born 1524), English

• Poetry
• 16th century in poetry
• 16th century in literature
• Dutch Renaissance and Golden Age literature
• Elizabethan literature
• French Renaissance literature
• Renaissance literature
• Spanish Renaissance literature
• University Wits