The Poetry Of Henry Vaughan: “I saw Eternity the other night, like a great Ring of pure and endless light.”

By Henry Vaughan

Henry Vaughan was a Welsh physician and much admired metaphysical poet. Vaughan spent most of his life in the village of Llansantffraed, near Brecon. He was schooled locally before progressing to Jesus College, Oxford in 1638. Family pressure for him to pursue a career in Law meant acceding to that request in 1640. Vaughan’s continuing study of the law was also interrupted by military service and upon his return from this he now began to practice medicine. By 1646, he had married Catherine Wise with whom he reared a son, Thomas, and three daughters, Lucy, Frances, and Catherine. In 1647 Henry Vaughan and his family decided to live in the country. It was here he wrote Olor Iscanus, the (Swan of Usk) which lay unpublished until 1651. The period shortly preceding the publication of Henry Vaughan's Silex Scintillans marks an important period of his life. Vaughan interprets this experience to be an encounter with death and believes he is spared to make amends and start a new course not only in his life but in the literature he would produce. It is with Vaughan's conversion and the writing of Silex Scintillans that he now receives significant acclaim. He was greatly indebted to George Herbert, who provided a model for Vaughan's newly founded spiritual life and literary career, in which he displays "spiritual quickening and the gift of gracious feeling" derived from Herbert. Vaughan elaborated on personal loss in two well-known poems, "The World" and "They Are All Gone into the World of Light." Another poem, "The Retreat," combines the theme of loss with the corruption of childhood, which is yet another consistent theme of Vaughan's and which we collect here amongst the poetry volume. As is so often the case greatness is bestowed only after death and Henry Vaughan alas falls into that category. He died on April 23, 1695, aged 74 and is buried in the churchyard of St Bridget's, Llansantffraed, Powys.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Copyright Group
• Release date: Dec 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781783946402

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The Poetry Of Henry Vaughan

Henry Vaughan was a Welsh physician and much admired metaphysical poet. 

He is the twin brother of the philosopher and alchemist Thomas Vaughan.

Vaughan spent most of his life in the village of Llansantffraed, near Brecon. He was schooled locally before progressing to Jesus College, Oxford in 1638. Family pressure for him to pursue a career in Law meant acceding to that request in 1640.

With the outbreak of Civil War in 1642 he was recalled home from London, to serve as a secretary to Sir Marmaduke Lloyd, a chief justice and staunch royalist. Vaughan’s continuing study of the law was also interrupted by military service and upon his return from this he now began to practice medicine.

By 1646, he had married Catherine Wise with whom he reared a son, Thomas, and three daughters, Lucy, Frances, and Catherine.

In 1647 Henry Vaughan and his family decided to live in the country.  It was here he wrote Olor Iscanus, the (Swan of Usk) which lay unpublished until 1651.

The period shortly preceding the publication of Henry Vaughan's Silex Scintillans marks an important period of his life.  Vaughan interprets this experience to be an encounter with death and believes he is spared to make amends and start a new course not only in his life but in the literature he would produce.

It is with Vaughan's conversion and the writing of Silex Scintillans that he now receives significant acclaim. He was greatly indebted to George Herbert, who provided a model for Vaughan's newly founded spiritual life and literary career, in which he displays spiritual quickening and the gift of gracious feeling derived from Herbert. 

Vaughan elaborated on personal loss in two well-known poems, The World and They Are All Gone into the World of Light. Another poem, The Retreat, combines the theme of loss with the corruption of childhood, which is yet another consistent theme of Vaughan's and which we collect here amongst the poetry volume.

As is so often the case greatness is bestowed only after death and Henry Vaughan alas falls into that category.

He died on April 23, 1695, aged 74 and is buried in the churchyard of St Bridget's, Llansantffraed, Powys.

Index Of Poems

The World

Man

Anguish

Content

Peace

The Dawning

Beyond The Veil

The True Christians

The Dedication

Midnight

Quickness

Corruption

Regeneration

The Dwelling-Place

The Water-Fall

A Song To Amoret

The Pursuit

The Shepherds

And Do They So?

The Relapse

Childhood

Retirement

Vain Wits and Eyes

The Revival

The Retreat

Joy Of My Life While Left Me Here!

As Time One Day By Me Did Pass

Vanity Of Spirit

Death. A Dialogue

The Evening-Watch: A Dialogue

Christ's Nativity

The Incarnation, And Passion

I Walk'd The Other Day

Etesia Absent

Boethius, De Consolatione Philosophiae : Liber 2. Metrum 5

Son-Days

Cock-Crowing

Love And Discipline

Come, Come! What do I Here?

Friends Departed

The Call

Mount Of Olives

The Book

Sweet Empty Sky Of June Without A Stain,

The Night

The Timber

Rules And Lessons

Silence And Stealth Of Days

The Bird

The Daughter Of Herodias

Upon the Priory Grove, His Usual Retirement

The Morning-Watch

The Nativity

The Shower

The Storm

The Star

Unprofitableness

Thou That Know'st For Whom I Mourn

They Are All Gone Into The World Of Light

The World

I saw Eternity the other night,

Like a great ring of pure and endless light,

All calm, as it was bright;

And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,

Driv'n by the spheres

Like a vast shadow mov'd; in which the world

And all her train were hurl'd.

The doting lover in his quaintest strain

Did there complain;

Near him, his lute, his fancy, and his flights,

Wit's sour delights,

With gloves, and knots, the silly snares of pleasure,

Yet his dear treasure

All scatter'd lay, while he his eyes did pour

Upon a flow'r.

The darksome statesman hung with weights and woe,

Like a thick midnight-fog mov'd there so slow,

He did