On Mr. G. Herbert's Book, Entitled the Temple of Sacred Poe

Richard Crashaw 1612 (London) – 1649 (Loreto, Marche)



Know you fair, on what you look;
   Divinest love lies in this book,
   Expecting fire from your eyes,
   To kindle this his sacrifice.
   When your hands untie these strings,
   Think you'have an angel by th' wings.
   One that gladly will be nigh,
   To wait upon each morning sigh.
   To flutter in the balmy air
  Of your well-perfumed prayer.
  These white plumes of his he'll lend you,
  Which every day to heaven will send you,
  To take acquaintance of the sphere,
  And all the smooth-fac'd kindred there.
      And though Herbert's name do owe
      These devotions, fairest, know
      That while I lay them on the shrine
      Of your white hand, they are mine.Credits and CopyrightTogether with the editors, the Department ofEnglish (University of Toronto), and the University of Toronto Press,the following individuals share copyright for the work that wentinto this edition:Screen Design (Electronic Edition): Sian Meikle (University ofToronto Library)Scanning: Sharine Leung (Centre for Computing in the Humanities)

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
79

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABCDDEEFFGGHFIIJK
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,022
Words 160
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 18

Richard Crashaw

Richard Crashaw, was an English poet, styled "the divine," and known as one of the central figures associated with the Metaphysical poets in 17th Century English literature. The son of a prominent Puritan minister, Crashaw was educated at Charterhouse School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. After taking a degree, Crashaw began to publish religious poetry and to teach at Cambridge. During the English Civil War he was ejected from his college position and went into exile in Italy. While in exile he converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. Crashaw's poetry is firmly within the Metaphysical tradition. Though his oeuvre is considered of uneven quality and among the weakest examples of the genre, his work is said to be marked by a focus toward "love with the smaller graces of life and the profounder truths of religion, while he seems forever preoccupied with the secret architecture of things." more…

All Richard Crashaw poems | Richard Crashaw Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem On Mr. G. Herbert's Book, Entitled the Temple of Sacred Poe with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "On Mr. G. Herbert's Book, Entitled the Temple of Sacred Poe" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/30054/on-mr.-g.-herbert's-book,-entitled-the-temple-of-sacred-poe>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    16
    hours
    53
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which famous poet wrote the epic poem "Paradise Lost"?
    A William Wordsworth
    B Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    C John Keats
    D John Milton