Metaphysical poets, selected poems Contents
- Social / political context
- Religious / philosophical context
- Literary context: ideas and innovations
- Aire and Angels
- A Hymn to God the Father
- A Hymn to God, my God, in my Sicknesse
- A Nocturnall upon St. Lucies day
- At the Round Earth's Imagin'd Corners
- A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- Synopsis of Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- Commentary on Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- Language and tone in Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- Structure and versification in Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- Imagery and symbolism in Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- Themes in Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
- A Valediction: of Weeping
- Batter my heart
- Death be not Proud
- Elegie XIX: Going to Bed
- Elegie XVI: On his Mistris
- Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward
- Lovers' Infiniteness
- Oh my blacke Soule!
- Satyre III: 'On Religion'
- Show me Deare Christ
- Since She Whom I Lov'd
- Song: Goe, and catche a falling starre
- The Anniversarie
- The Dreame
- The Extasie
- The Flea
- The Good-morrow
- The Sunne Rising
- This is my playes last scene
- Twicknam Garden
- What if this present
- Aaron
- Affliction I
- Death
- Discipline
- Easter Wings
- Jordan I
- Jordan II
- Life
- Love II
- Man
- Prayer I
- Redemption
- The Church-floore
- The Collar
- Vertue
- Hymn in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
- Hymn to St Teresa
- St Mary Magdalene, or the Weeper
- To the Countesse of Denbigh
- Ascension - Hymn
- Man
- Regeneration
- The Night
- The Retreate
- The Water-fall
- A Dialogue between Soul and Body
- On a Drop of Dew
- The Coronet
- The Definition of Love
- The Garden
- The Mower Against Gardens
- The Mower to the Glo-Worms
- The Mower's Song
- The Nymph Complaining for the Death of her Faun
- The Picture of Little T.C. in a Prospect of Flowers
- To his Coy Mistress
- Upon Appleton House, to my Lord Fairfax
- An Elegie upon the Death of the Deane of Paul's Dr John Donne
- To a Lady that Desired I would Love her
Structure and versification in Death
Death is a good example of the simplicity of Herbert's verse structure. It is almost song-like: quatrains with lines shortening to the centre, then lengthening out again. This allows interesting movements of rhythm. The rhyme scheme takes advantage of the two central shorter lines, so the b-rhyme becomes more noticeable, especially
is a good example of the simplicity of Herbert's verse structure. It is almost song-like: quatrains with lines shortening to the centre, then lengthening out again. This allows interesting movements of rhythm. The rhyme scheme takes advantage of the two central shorter lines, so the b-rhyme becomes more noticeable, especially
- bones/groans
- face/grace
- doomsday/array
- There are several internal rhymes to re-enforce this effect:
- gay/doomsday
- and, more removed, fair/wear
Each stanza is a complete sense unit, so the poem moves forward at an even pace, unfolding its logic in a gradual way. It is all so firmly controlled, we cannot possibly fear death in such an ordered structure.
- Look at the structure of Death
- Can you see how the poem as a whole has the same movement as each individual stanza?
- Do you see any counter-movements, or use of counterpoint, either in rhythm or sense?
Resources: Some of Herbert's poetry has been set to music by Vaughan Williams in his Five Mystical Songs (Easter, I got me flowers, Love bade me welcome, The Call, Antiphon).
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