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Richard Lovelace’s “To Althea, from Prison”
Richard Lovelace (1618-1657) is not quite so famous as some of the other poets featured here on Influential Lyrics, but his work offers some of the best examples of “Cavalier Poetry”–a mode of writing that came into prominence in the middle years of the 17th century. The Cavalier Poets (so named because of their loyalty to King Charles I) produced dozens of poems that celebrate aspects of the “good life.” Beauty, love, friendship, and loyal dedication are among the key themes, all typically presented in a joyful live-for-today, carpe diem attitude. Podcast Audio: “To Althea, from Prison” When…
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George Herbert’s “The Collar”
George Herbert’s “The Collar” is an extraordinary poem by an extraordinary poet. The poem expresses a familiar psychological and perhaps spiritual conflict between the desire for freedom and worldly pleasure and the commitment to a more quietly constrained life of piety and religious devotion. Podcast Audio: “The Collar” I struck the board, and cry’d, No more. I will abroad. What? Shall I ever sigh and pine?My lines and life are free; free as the rode, Loose as the winde, as large as store. Shall I be still in suit? Have I no harvest but a thorn To let…
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John Donne, “Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
John Donne’s “Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” was probably written to his wife Ann in 1611 when Donne was preparing to travel to the Continent. The poem, however, is much more significant than this very specific occasion might suggest. It stands both as one of the most celebrated of English love poems and also as a clear example of Donne’s quirky style as a “metaphysical poet.” Podcast Audio: Valediction: Forbidding Mourning As virtuous men pass mildly away,And whisper to their souls to go,Whilst some of their sad friends do say,The breath goes now, and some say, No: So let us…
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William Shakespeare, Sonnet #12
The 1609 publication of Shakespeare’s Sonnets raises several literary-historical questions, many of which remain unresolved, but what we do know is that most of the first 120-some sonnets appear to be addressed to a handsome young man (WH?) while the last 30 or so are about a person who has come to be known as the “Dark Ladie.” And we know that the first 17 sonnets—often called the “Procreation Sonnets”—are each rhetorical addresses to the younger man, encouraging him to have children. The present podcast focuses on Sonnet #12 which gives us an excellent example of Shakespeare’s imagery and…
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Sir Thomas Wyatt, “The Long Love…”
In 1557, at a time when printed books were only just becoming generally available, a volume of poems called Songes and Sonettes was published in London by the printer Richard Tottel. More commonly known as Tottel’s Miscellany, the book made public several poems that had previously only circulated in manuscript among a few persons. One of the poets represented in the Miscellany was Sir Thomas Wyatt—a courtier, envoy, and diplomat in the court of Henry VIII. The sonnet entitled “The Long Love that in my Thought doth Harbour” will give us a sense of Wyatt’s style and will…
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Sir Patrick Spens
In 1765, Bishop Thomas Percy published his 3-volume Reliques of Ancient English Poetry. The book introduced a number of late medieval poems into the English literary canon, the most famous of which is the popular ballad called “Sir Patrick Spens.” This episode includes a reading of the poem, a brief explication, and some commentary on the meaning, value, and significance of the work.
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