Dimensions
131 x 198 x 21mm
With their intricate arguments, startling conceits and dazzling wit, the seventeenth-century poets who became known as 'metaphysical' brought a new ingenuity and energy to English verse. John Donne's poems are some of the most passionate and profound to be written on both secular and spiritual love, from the playful eroticism of 'To his Mistris Going to Bed' to the dramatic force of his Holy Sonnets. George Herbert's religious verse, including "Easter-wings', drew on unusual images such as music and money to create works that are intensely personal and devotional. And Andrew Marvell's works encompassed love poetry like 'To his Coy Mistress', philosophical dialogues, public odes and pastoral verse. The poets collected here, who also include Henry Vaughan, Thomas Traherne and Richard Crashaw, can all be seen fusing intellect and learning with powerful emotion to create some of the most individual and original poetry in the language.
