The Poetry of Robert Herrick: 17th Century lyrical poet that was also a cleric
Written by Robert Herrick
Narrated by Richard Mitchley, Ghizela Rowe and Gideon Wagner
()
About this audiobook
The Clergyman and poet, Robert Herrick was born in Cheapside, in London in 1591. An exact date is not known though he was baptized on August 24th, the seventh child of Nicholas Herrick, a wealthy goldsmith.
Some controversy surrounds several chapters in his early years. The first are allusions that his father, in November 1592, two days after making a will, killed himself by jumping from the fourth-floor window of his house. However, the Queen's Almoner did not confiscate the Herrick estate for the crown as was the usual procedure with suicides, so an alternate narrative emerged that he fell accidentally which seems to have more credence.
There is no record of Herrick attending school. Some claim a poem alludes to Westminster School, others merely that he meant Westminster, the area. Another school of thought claims he was educated at Merchant Taylor’s School. What is known is that in 1607 he was apprenticed to his uncle Sir William Herrick as a goldsmith.
Herrick certainly seems to have been a keen and avid poet. The earliest work known to be written by him dates from 1610; 'A Country Life', and deals with the move from London to farm life in Leicestershire.
After six years as an apprentice, when Herrick was 22 he matriculated at St John’s College, Cambridge before moving to Trinity College and graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in 1617, Master of Arts in 1620, and in 1623 he was ordained priest.
By 1625 he was well known as a poet, mixing in literary circles in London such as that around Ben Jonson. An avowed admirer of Jonson he was also one of a group whom became known as ‘The Sons of Ben’ writing both in his style and about him.
In 1629 he was presented by Charles I to the parishioners of Dean Prior, a remote parish of Devonshire. The best of his work was written in the peace and seclusion of country life; 'To Blossoms' and 'To Daffodils' are classical depictions of a devoted appreciation of nature.
However, after he refused to subscribe to The Solemn League and Covenant, he was ejected from Devonshire in 1647 and moved to London where he published his religious poems Noble Numbers (1647), and Hesperides (1648).
Herrick was distinguished as a lyric poet, and some of his love songs, for example, 'To Anthea' and 'Gather Ye Rose-buds' are considered exceptional.
By 1660 he was reinstated at Dean Prior where he lived for the remainder of his life. He wrote no more poems after 1648 but over his life it is thought he wrote in the region of 2,500 poems in total, only a small portion of which were ever published.
He died in October 1674, at the age of 83 in circumstances unknown. He was buried on October 15th, 1674 in an unmarked grave in the churchyard at Dean Prior.
This volume comes to you from Portable Poetry, a specialized imprint from Deadtree Publishing. Our range is large and growing and covers single poets, themes, and many compilations.
More audiobooks from Robert Herrick
The Poetry of the 17th Century - Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFifty Shades of London: 50 of the best poems about London Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Rhyme A Dozen - Paintings: 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Rhyme A Dozen - London: 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry Hour - Volume 19 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSaint Distaffs day, or the morrow after Twelfth day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChristmas Poetry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Rhyme A Dozen - Music: 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelight in Disorder Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Christmas Poetry - A Season In Verse: Classic Xmas poems that make the perfect Christmas gift Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hag Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Poetry of Robert Herrick
Related audiobooks
The Poetry Of Thomas Hood Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Poet Laureates Volume 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry Of Ford Madox Ford Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poetry of Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Hugely influential co-founder of the Romantic movement in England Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poet Laureates Volume 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cavalier Poets Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Poems of West and East Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry of Ivor Gurney Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry of Algeron Charles Swinburne: Trailblazing writer whose worked often touched on taboo topics of Victorian times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry Hour - Volume 19 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPearl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Caroline Poets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Victorian Poetry Volume 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poetry of Robert Seymour Bridges Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMen, Women and Ghosts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poets of the 19th Century - Volume 1: History revealed in verse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSlavery, A Tyranny In Verse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry of Ben Jonson: Poems from the popular playwright many deem second only to Shakespeare in English literature Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe History of Tom Jones, a Foundling - Book 1 (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoems - 1905-1911 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Rhyme A Dozen - Music: 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnglish Poems Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Poetry of Andrew Marvell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNightmare Abbey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dome of Many-Coloured Glass Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Forest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFamily of Noblemen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Orange Grove Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Educational Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Poetry For You
The Classic Hundred Poems: All-Time Favorites Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inferno of Dante Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Raven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Odyssey: The Fitzgerald Translation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beowulf: Translated by Seamus Heaney Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strength In Our Scars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rumi's Little Book of Life: The Garden of the Soul, the Heart, and the Spirit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Poems of T.S. Eliot Read by Jeremy Irons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beowulf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Milk and Honey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Home Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Poems: Selected and Introduced by Garrison Keillor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Raven and Other Poems: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inferno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beowulf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Metamorphoses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prophet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Ching: The Book of Change Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: with Pearl and Sir Orfeo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sun and Her Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poetry of Walt Whitman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Citizen: An American Lyric Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leaves of Grass: 1855 Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Other Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5W. B. Yeats: Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Poetry of Robert Herrick
0 ratings0 reviews