To create the impression of rich literary culture you needn’t write whole epics; all it takes is a recited verse here and there. Here’s one from a bawdy ballad about a once favored knight:
In all his battles, all his fields,
Sir Willard proved the best.
He served the queen,
(But then her maid),
And never more was blessed.
—From “Black Armor Becomes Him,” Arkendian ballad circa early reign of Evandora