Anyte
Greek Poet: c. 300 BC
Antye was a poetess of Hellenic Greece, known for her 24 epigrams recorded in Meleager of Gadara's (c.135-c.65) Garland, a compilation of epigrams by 50 writers of the Alexandrian period. She was the first poet recorded in the collection, her flower of the garland being the lily.
Antye was seen as 'one of the nine earthly muses' to later Greek writers, and her 24 poems are the most complete collection of poetry by any Greek female writer of antiquity, even Sappho. She is credited as one of the first users of the pastoral epigram style, and is possibly the first recorded writer of poetry for deceased pets.
"You met your death by a thickly rooted shrub, Locris,
swiftest of the puppies who love to bark.
Such a pitiless poison was trust into your nimble limb
by a viper with iridescent neck."
Other animals written about include a child's pet grasshopper and the warrior Damis' horse
Very little is known about her life, despite the very personal viewpoint of her poetry. She is thought to have come from Tegea in southern Arcadia on the Peloponnese and may have had a school of poetry there. She writes lyrically about children, animals and women, making her works very different to most of the male dominated epigrams of the time.
To date, the only poem noded on E2 by Anyte is The Tomb of Damis' Horse, which originally sparked my curiosity and this node. Please /msg me if you come across any others within the database and I shall add them to the list.
Sources:
http://www.tl.infi.net/~ddisse/anyte.html
http://ancienthistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa021301b.htm
Also, see Gritchka's w/u on Sappho for more information about Meleager's 'Garland'.