1. William Shakespeare (1564-1616): One of the greatest poets in the English language, Shakespeare crafted numerous sonnets, including those with an elegiac tone. For instance, Sonnet 71 explores the sorrow of losing someone dear.
2. John Milton (1608-1674): Another prominent English poet, Milton wrote evocative elegies, including "Lycidas," a pastoral elegy mourning the loss of his fellow poet Edward King.
3. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822): Known for his Romantic poetry, Shelley wrote several elegiac poems, including "Adonais," which laments the death of fellow poet John Keats.
4. Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892): Tennyson's poetic works include elegies such as "In Memoriam A.H.H." (In Memoriam Arthur Henry Hallam), a collection of poems mourning the loss of his close friend.
5. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): One of America's most renowned poets, Dickinson often explored themes of death and loss in her poems, such as "Because I could not stop for Death."
6. W. H. Auden (1907-1973): Auden, an influential poet of the 20th century, wrote several elegiac poems, including "In Memory of W. B. Yeats" and "Funeral Blues."
7. Seamus Heaney (1939-2013): A Nobel laureate in Literature, Heaney wrote elegies that dealt with personal loss as well as broader societal and historical themes, such as in his poem "The Toome Road."
These are just a few examples of poets known for their elegies. Many other poets throughout history have contributed to the tradition of elegiac verse.