Robert Herrick Eman Poet Lib #12 (Everyman Poetry) [Paperback]

Douglas Brooks-Davies (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Everyman Poetry | Publication Date: January 15, 1997

Herrick lived through civil wars and Restoration. In his best-known poems- Cherry Ripe and Gather ye rosebuds while ye may' he writes of loss, of the passing of time, of death.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Founded in 1906 by J.M. Dent, the Everyman Library has always tried to make the best books ever written available to the greatest number of people at the lowest possible price. Unique editorial features that help Everyman Paperback Classics stand out from the crowd include: a leading scholar or literary critic's introduction to the text, a biography of the author, a chronology of her or his life and times, a historical selection of criticism, and a concise plot summary. All books published since 1993 have also been completely restyled: all type has been reset, to offer a clarity and ease of reading unique among editions of the classics; a vibrant, full-color cover design now complements these great texts with beautiful contemporary works of art. But the best feature must be Everyman's uniquely low price. Each Everyman title offers these extensive materials at a price that competes with the most inexpensive editions on the market-but Everyman Paperbacks have durable binding, quality paper, and the highest editorial and scholarly standards.

About the Author

Douglas Brooks-Davies was born in Wimbledon in 1942, and educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby and Brasenose College, Oxford. Formerly Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Manchester, where he remains an Honorary Research fellow, he has published widely on Renaissance and later literature, and is now a freelance writer. His hobbies include gardening, singing, and playing the oboe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Everyman Paperbacks (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0460877992
• ISBN-13: 978-0460877992
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 5.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,550,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gather ye rosebuds while ye may..., February 26, 2002

By 

heysquid "reader, watcher, listener, geek" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Herrick Eman Poet Lib #12 (Everyman Poetry) (Paperback)

One of my favorite 17th century English writers, the Cavalier poet Robert Herrick succeeds handily at the dual task of producing ridiculously pretty--and humorously erotic--love poetry (addressed mainly to two women named Julia and Anthea), as well as a series of religiously oriented poetry that is a striking contrast to the love poems for its down-to-earth devotion. He also wrote a number of laudatory pieces for friends, relatives and the occasional noble, as well as a variety of comic/pastoral/vie quotidienne poems. It is interesting to me, however, that he is far better known for the erotic verse than any of his other work (particularly the devotional poetry), given that he was a clergyman by profession.

This volume provides a good, solid selection from Herrick's two collections, "Hesperides" and "His Noble Numbers", and includes several of his pastoral verses, encomia and comic pieces interspersed with the love poems and pious work. Alas, one of his most charming efforts is excluded, the lovely "Upon the Nipples of Julia's Breast" (and how can you go wrong with a title like that?). Nowhere near as popular as other 17th century writers such as Donne or Jonson or Dryden, and indeed somewhat less respected by lit crit types because his poetry does talk about things like nipples, daffodils and strawberries dipped in cream, Robert Herrick's accessible, graceful, smooth-flowing verse is nevertheless very much worth reading.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light love, January 17, 2006

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Robert Herrick Eman Poet Lib #12 (Everyman Poetry) (Paperback)

Herrick was a cleric , but his most famous verses are erotic playful ones, and not his devotional writing. Among them are some of the most well- known light lyrics in the language.
Perhaps his most famous poem is :

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.

The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,
The higher he's a-getting,
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.

That age is best which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.

Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may forever tarry."

This famous poem has about it a lightness bordering on humor, a kind of ease and spirit of delight. It seems frankly far too hedonistic to come from a clergyman, but it certainly has given a lot of pleasure to readers.

Herrick is a minor delight, and if he does not really compare in depth, complexity and power of passion to Donne, he does provide his own special voice and music.