cummings, Dylan Thomas, and John Hollander.

Originally turned on its right side, this composition is a marvelous example of a pattern poem, also known as shaped verse, which originated in ancient times, re-emerged during the Renaissance, and continued with and beyond twentieth-century examples by e. One of Herbert’s most famous and admired poems is “Easter Wings”: The language, meter, imagery, and layout of The Temple established Herbert as an accomplished metaphysical poet, whose work went through eight editions by 1690 and still appears in various anthologies and hymnals today. These pieces were intricate representations of religious experience, particularly Herbert’s own passionate struggle to perceive and perform God’s will. Later that same year, Herbert’s many poems were published in a collection called The Temple. After marrying Jane Danvers in 1629, Herbert became the rector of a small parish near Salisbury in Wiltshire, where he died of tuberculosis in 1633, just before his fortieth birthday. Early in his career, he held academic appointments and even served in Parliament but, upon the death of King James I, he took holy orders in the Church of England. Herbert nevertheless received a marvelous education, including studies at Westminster School in London and at Trinity College of Cambridge University. When he was three years old, his father died, leaving a wife and ten children. The poem is printed sideways, making the shape of wings clear.George Herbert was born into a well-to-do and well-doing family of Montgomery, Wales, in 1593. View a facsimile of the poem as it was originally published in 1633. Learn more about the school of poetry to which George Herbert belonged. Read more about George Herbert’s life and poetry.

Listen to Andrew Motion, the former Poet Laureate of the UK, discuss the influence of George Herbert’s poetry on his own work in this clip recorded at the George Herbert Festival in 2014. Video of Andrew Motion Discussing George Herbert Read more about this tradition and see examples of ancient shaped poetry-including “The Wings” by Simias of Rhodes. “Easter Wings” draws on a tradition of concrete, or shaped, poetry, that dates back to ancient Greece.

George herbert easter wings