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The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations
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A collectible new Penguin Classics series: stunning, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets, which present each poet's most famous book of verse as it was originally published. Designed by the acclaimed Coralie Bickford-Smith and beautifully set, these slim, A format volumes are the ultimate gift editions for poetry lovers.
On his deathbed George Herbert entrusted the ...more
On his deathbed George Herbert entrusted the ...more
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Hardcover, 311 pages
Published
August 24th 2017
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1633)
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Start your review of The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations
Metaphysical Poetry!
What’s that mean? Well, for the great poet T.S. Eliot, the term perfectly characterizes that moment in history when poetic writing became split into a Cartesian duality - ‘A disassociation of sensibility.’
And that, he says, happened back in the late Renaissance.
I think he’s right, and I’ll use one example from this book to show you the prelapsarian (in a literary sense) genius of George Herbert...
(But let’s first take a look back to the early Renaissance before the Reformatio ...more
What’s that mean? Well, for the great poet T.S. Eliot, the term perfectly characterizes that moment in history when poetic writing became split into a Cartesian duality - ‘A disassociation of sensibility.’
And that, he says, happened back in the late Renaissance.
I think he’s right, and I’ll use one example from this book to show you the prelapsarian (in a literary sense) genius of George Herbert...
(But let’s first take a look back to the early Renaissance before the Reformatio ...more
Read this in another edition. But always fantastic. Some glorious lines in here.
Do I read a lot of poetry? I wouldn't say that I do. Perhaps two or three books per year, usually. And often those "poetry books" are poems for the very young. So reading George Herbert, in many ways, was going outside of my comfort zone. Yet, it was good for me to go outside my comfort zone in reading. I assumed--presumed--that it would be an intimidating read: at best a bit boring, at worst, incomprehensible. But I really enjoyed reading this one.
I enjoyed "The Sacrifice" which is a poem writt ...more
I enjoyed "The Sacrifice" which is a poem writt ...more
A really wonderful collection of devotional poetry. George Herbert's poetry sinks deep roots into the glorious doctrines of the Christian faith, and then raises us up to soar with poignant praise. He is witty, lucid, and demonstrates that good doctrine with a beating heart is a potent combination. Herbert also mingles in a healthy dose of that good, ol' fashioned earthiness of English poets. In almost every selection you find some sort of proverbial statement which are often quite Solomonic. I'd
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This is why I read random books from lists of the great books - that dirty word - (sound effect here...duh duh duuuuuuh...) the canon.
Herbert's poetry is on the surface about God, religion, devotion and other mind-numbing (to me) generalities. However, these doctrinal MacGuffins are only there (in my secular reading) for Herbert to jump-start his creativity. His fecund display of wit, craft, rhyme and meter are in almost every poem. He dabbles in concrete poetry (and makes a masterpiece). He sne ...more
Herbert's poetry is on the surface about God, religion, devotion and other mind-numbing (to me) generalities. However, these doctrinal MacGuffins are only there (in my secular reading) for Herbert to jump-start his creativity. His fecund display of wit, craft, rhyme and meter are in almost every poem. He dabbles in concrete poetry (and makes a masterpiece). He sne ...more
I did not connect with this as much as some have, but I do not argue with the fact that it is beautiful and has been influential in the world of literature for centuries. Glad I read it.
'Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,/ Guilty of dust and sin.'
...more
Aug 12, 2020
William Schrecengost
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
poetry
If a Christian is to read one work of poetry in his or her life, it ought to be this. Herbert is a masterful poet and he is amazing at structuring his poems. Each one is full of theological meaning and help convey a yearning for God. Truly lovely poems with a heart for God.
"Invention rest,
Comparisons go play, wit use thy will:
Less than the least
Of all God's mercies, is my posy still."
George Herbert is one of my favorite poets. This collection is full of beautiful gems in language, form, and theme. Surely some of the greatest devotional poetry ever written. ...more
Comparisons go play, wit use thy will:
Less than the least
Of all God's mercies, is my posy still."
George Herbert is one of my favorite poets. This collection is full of beautiful gems in language, form, and theme. Surely some of the greatest devotional poetry ever written. ...more
Two stars, not because it was bad, but just because I didn't really connect to it. It was long and at some point the poems start to blurr together somewhat. Some review or blurb of this work somewhere gave me very high expectations that were barely met. It was interesting to dive into religious poetry as a genre, but I am not sure this hit me the way it should have or could have. If you are into renaissance poetry and are specifically into religious genres this would be for you.
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George Herbert was my favorite poet in the Early British Literature class that I took, and so I was delighted when my book group to read him. We read about thirty of his poems and I loved revisiting his works. In particular, what I find striking is the nuances and challenges of faith, and his notions of God and spirituality, which really speak to me and encourage me. Sometime I plan to read the entire book.
The Poetry of George Herbert transcends time, space, and any 5 star rating scale! It’s incredible that no one ever even knew these poems existed until he was on his death bed. This poetry collection is a treasure that I’m certain to revisit often for years to come.
An amazing collection from a great, and I think under valued, metaphysical poet. I do like George Herbert a lot.
Herbert and I share thoughts, but the potency of his words far exceed that of mine.
The lines are of impeccable form. The prayers are honest, somewhat erratic, and saturated with devotion.
The lines are of impeccable form. The prayers are honest, somewhat erratic, and saturated with devotion.
Every Christian should read this book of poetry. This has helped define and navigate my faith and Christianity in so many ways. Will definitely read and re-read again.
Read through this with my husband. I had heard one George Herbert poem before that I absolutely loved (Love III) and hoped that this book would contain much of the same. Instead, we found many of the poems inscrutable, at least on a first reading. I imagine that with repeated readings and more time spent on each poem, some of these might become more dear, but it occasionally felt as though Herbert had reached his hand into a bowl of words and then scattered them on the page at random. I realize
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i just love this collection !! A* work from Herbert - you can really visualise the temple and walk through it in the way he wanted us to
Such beautiful poetry
Full of well known works like "Love (III)" and "Easter Wings" (which, together with cummings' "l(a," is one of the only concrete poems I've ever liked) and other gems like "the Dawning," this is one of the absolute masterpieces of Christian poetry. It is a prolonged demonstration that word play and wit are not mutually exclusive with a devotional work. For example, here's a stanza from "Evensong": "But thou art Light and darkness both together:/ If that be dark we cannot see:/ The sun is darker
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The first time reading any one of Herbert's poems, I confess I am lost. I can't even tell you what the poem is about. Reading a second time, I understand the general topic or theme, but no specifics. The third time, I begin to see how the ideas in the poem fit the language he uses. The poem becomes more worshipful as I understand it and I start to delight after the fourth reading. It takes that long.
I highly recommend George Herbert. He influenced C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, and many others. Me t ...more
I highly recommend George Herbert. He influenced C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, and many others. Me t ...more
The book The Temple is structurally, poetically, religiously, and many other ways adverbally amazing. The history of the book's printing, layout, etc., especially in regards to Herbert's pattern poems ("Easter Wings") is fascinating as well. This book is a good place to start thinking about the book's history; it includes pictures of the manuscript from which the first edition was printed. Get it from your library.
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I bought the Penguin pocket poetry collection and while quite a few of the other books in the collections were rather beautiful, so I came to this book with high hopes which might have to explain the extreme rating I had to go with.
Poetry is quite personal and sometimes you just don't like a poet and for me this was such a case. ...more
Poetry is quite personal and sometimes you just don't like a poet and for me this was such a case. ...more
Jul 21, 2007
dthaase
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
poetry,
spirituality
Herbert offers the reader some of the best spiritual poetry ever written.
Marvellous!
i keep a copy of this in my satchel.
Ew. Did not realize that "modernized" meant "rewritten for the dull reader". I'm all for normalized spelling and punctuation, but this was gag inducing. Am now in the market for a different edition.
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Read this in the classics of Western Spirituality edition. Herbert is a genius wordsmith and a master of form. There are some very beautiful poems in this collection.
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Readers also enjoyed
George Herbert was a Welsh-born English poet and orator. Herbert's poetry is associated with the writings of the metaphysical poets, and he is recognized as "a pivotal figure: enormously popular, deeply and broadly influential, and arguably the most skillful and important British devotional lyricist."
Born into an artistic and wealthy family, Herbert received a good education that led to his admiss ...more
Born into an artistic and wealthy family, Herbert received a good education that led to his admiss ...more
![George Herbert and the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets [Authoritative Texts, Criticism]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392261643l/199265._SY160_.jpg "George Herbert and the Seventeenth-Century Religious Poets [Authoritative Texts, Criticism]")
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“Be calm in arguing: for fierceness makes
Error a fault, and truth discourtesy.”
—
17 likes
Error a fault, and truth discourtesy.”
“Who says that fictions only and false hair
Become a verse? Is there in truth no beauty?
Is all good structure in a winding stair?”
—
12 likes
More quotes…
Become a verse? Is there in truth no beauty?
Is all good structure in a winding stair?”
