Although Dante (the writer, not the GC poster) is often assumed to have been an adult when he met the child Beatrice, who became his muse, the truth is they were close to the same age and were both children when they met. On the other hand, there are notable poets who were adults when they met young girls who inspired them. Poe, of course. Novalis, who I have discussed her before, is another. And then there's Philip Sidney, an Elizabethan poet, who was 21 when he met the 12-year-old Penelope Devereaux. Her father, Walter Devereaux, Earl of Essex, sought to marry his young daughter off to Sidney, who was a renowned courtier to Queen Elizabeth I. Alas, the marriage never happened, but a few years after meeting her, Sidney composed Astrophel and Stella, said to be inspired by her. Like Poe and Novalis, Sidney also died young. He was 32 when he passed away from gangrene poisoning after suffering a gunshot wound to the thigh.