Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick, illustration based on Hesperides impression.
Born	c. August 24, 1591 Cheapside, London, England
Died	October 1674 Dean Prior, Devon, England
Occupation	Poet and clergyman

Robert Herrick (baptized August 24, 1591 – October 1674) was a 17th century English poet. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 472 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1632 × 2073 pixel, file size: 690 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Robert Herrick (poet) ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1591 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the street in London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see October (disambiguation). ... Events February 19 - England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster. ... For other uses, see Devon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about work. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... see also Holy Orders The following terms have traditional meanings for the Anglican Church, and possibly beyond: A churchman is in principle a member of a church congregation, in practice someone in holy orders. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1591 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Events February 19 - England and the Netherlands sign the Treaty of Westminster. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ...

Biography

Early life

Born in Cheapside, London, he was the seventh child and fourth son of Nicholas Herrick, a prosperous goldsmith, who committed suicide when Robert was a year old. It is likely that he attended Westminster School. In 1607 he became apprenticed to his uncle, Sir William Herrick, who was a goldsmith and jeweler to the king. The apprenticeship ended after only six years when Herrick, at age twenty-two, matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1617. Robert Herrick became a member of the Sons of Ben, a group of Cavalier poets centered around an admiration for the works of Ben Jonson. This article is about the street in London. ... For other uses, see Westminster School (disambiguation). ... College name The College of Saint John the Evangelist of the University of Cambridge Motto Souvent me Souvient (Latin: I often remember) Named after The Hospital of Saint John the Evangelist Established 1511 Location St. ... The phrase Sons of Ben is a mildly problematic term applied to followers of Ben Jonson in English poetry and drama in the first half of the seventeenth century. ... Cavalier poets is a broad description of a school of poets, who came from the classes that supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. ... For other persons of the same name, see Ben Johnson (disambiguation). ...

Dean Prior

In or before 1627, he took religious orders, and, having been appointed chaplain to the duke of Buckingham, accompanied him on his disastrous expedition to the Isle of Rhé (1627). He became vicar of the parish of Dean Prior, Devon in 1629, a post that carried a term of thirty-one years. It was in the secluded country life of Devon that he wrote some of his best work. The Duke of Buckingham by Rubens George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628) (IPA pronunciation: ) was one of the most rewarded royal courtiers in all history. ... The quays at Saint Martin en Ré. ÃŽle de Ré (formerly also ÃŽle de Rhé; in English Isle of Rhé) is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis dAntioche strait. ... For other uses, see Devon (disambiguation). ... Events March 4 - Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a Royal charter. ...

The stipend (pay) for this living was small, and the contrast to his life in London must have been great. However, he took his responsibilities as a parish priest seriously, and he was essentially a man with a happy and friendly temperament. Local people described him as becoming much beloved by the Gentry in those parts for his florid and witty discourse, even though (as his biographer Alfred Pollard records^[1]) he had been known to throw the manuscript of his sermon at an unfortunate parishioner who happened to drop off to sleep during it. His poem A Thanksgiving to God, for his House describes an idyllic and placid life, surrounded by his animals and cared for devotedly by his maid, Prudence Baldwin.

Civil War

Title page of Hesperides (1648)

In the wake of the English Civil War, his position was revoked on account of his refusal to make pledge to the Solemn League and Covenant. He then returned to London. During this time, he lived in Westminster, in London, depending on the charity of his friends and family. He spent some time preparing his lyric poems for publication, and had them printed in 1648 under the title Hesperides; or the Works both Human and Divine of Robert Herrick, with a dedication to the Prince of Wales. For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Westminster is a district within the City of Westminster in London. ...

Restoration and later life

When King Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, Herrick petitioned for his own restoration to his living. Perhaps King Charles felt kindly towards this genial man, who had written verses celebrating the births of both Charles II and his brother James before the Civil War. Herrick became the vicar of Dean Prior again in the summer of 1662 and lived there until his death in 1674, at the ripe age of 83. Herrick was a bachelor all his life, and many of the women he names in his poems are thought to be fictional. ^[2]

Poetic style and stature

His reputation rests on Hesperides, and the much shorter Noble Numbers, spiritual works, published together in 1648. He is well-known for his style and, in his earlier works, frequent references to lovemaking and the female body. His later poetry was more of a spiritual and philosophical nature. Among his most famous short poetical sayings are the unique monometers, such as "Thus I / Pass by / And die,/ As one / Unknown / And gone." 1648 (MDCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Herrick sets out his subject-matter in the poem he printed at the beginning of his collection, The Argument of his Book. He dealt with English country life and its seasons, village customs, complimentary poems to various ladies and his friends, themes taken from classical writings and a solid bedrock of Christian faith, not intellectualized but underpinning the rest.

Herrick never married, and none of his love-poems seem to connect directly with any one beloved woman. He loved the richness of sensuality and the variety of life, and this is shown vividly in such poems as Cherry-ripe, Delight in Disorder and Upon Julia’s Clothes.

Gather Ye rosebuds While Ye May, by John William Waterhouse, (1909)

The over-riding message of Herrick’s work is that life is short, the world is beautiful, love is splendid, and we must use the short time we have to make the most of it. This message can be seen clearly in To the Virgins, to make much of Time, To Daffodils, To Blossoms and Corinna going a-Maying, where the warmth and exuberance of what seems to have been a kindly and jovial personality comes over strongly. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 505 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (716 × 850 pixel, file size: 199 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, 1909, by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) العربية | ÄŒesky | Deutsch | English | Ελληνικά | Español | فارسی | Français | עברית | Indonesian | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | Magyar... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 505 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (716 × 850 pixel, file size: 199 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, 1909, by John William Waterhouse (1849-1917) العربية | ÄŒesky | Deutsch | English | Ελληνικά | Español | فارسی | Français | עברית | Indonesian | Italiano | 日本語 | 한국어 | Magyar... Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May is an oil painting on canvas created in 1909 by British Pre-Raphaelite artist, John William Waterhouse. ... John William Waterhouse. ...

The opening stanza in one of his more famous poems, "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time", is as follows: This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flying;

And this same flower that smiles today,

Tomorrow will be dying.

This poem is an example of the carpe diem genre; the popularity of Herrick's poems of this kind helped revive the genre. For other uses, see Carpe diem (disambiguation). ...

His poems were not widely popular at the time they were published. His style was strongly influenced by Ben Jonson, by the classical Roman writers, and by the poems of the late Elizabethan age. This must have seemed quite old-fashioned to an audience whose tastes were tuned to the complexities of the metaphysical poets such as John Donne and Andrew Marvell. His works were rediscovered in the early nineteenth century, and have been regularly printed ever since. For other persons of the same name, see Ben Johnson (disambiguation). ... The Elizabethan Era is the period associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) and is often considered to be a golden age in English history. ... The metaphysical poets were a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them. ... For the Welsh courtier and diplomat, see Sir John Donne. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The Victorian poet Charles Swinburne described Herrick as the greatest song writer...ever born of English race. It is certainly true that despite his use of classical allusions and names, his poems are easier for modern readers to understand than those of many of his contemporaries. This is partly because they are less profound, and partly because he expresses his thoughts and feelings with such grace and precision.

See also

• Country house poems

A genre popular in early 17th century England, in which the poet compliments a wealthy patron or a friend through a description of his country house. ...

References

1. ^ Herrick, Robert. Works of Robert Herrick. vol I and II. Alfred Pollard, ed. London, Lawrence & Bullen, 1891
2. ^ Ben Jonson and the Cavalier Poets, ed. Hugh Maclean (New York: Norton, 1974), p. 106.

External links

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Robert Herrick

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Robert Herrick (poet)

• Works by Robert Herrick at Project Gutenberg
• Project Gutenberg e-text: Chrysomela: A Selection from the Lyrical Poems of Robert Herrick
• Robert Herrick Works

Upon Kings. Poems Upon Several Personages of Honour ...

• "Corinna's Going A-Maying" Creative Commons audio recording.
• "To The Virgins, To Make Much of Time" Creative Commons audio recording.
• The Complete Poetry of Robert Herrick (with full biography) Site at Newcastle University for the new edition of Herrick's Poetry
• Waterhouse Paintings of Herrick's Poem "To Virgin, Make Much of Time"