The Metaphysical Poets
“An excellent introduction to a period of English literary history…The ‘seize the day’ exhortation of Andrew Marvell’s ‘To His Coy Mistress’ is one of the most famous poems in the language…The inclusion of the woman poet, Katherine Philips, is appreciated in a time when few women were taken seriously as writers…The readers, themselves, are excellent with appropriate British accents.”
Sound Commentary
John Donne, Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Thomas Carew, and Henry Vaughan—these were some of the seventeenth-century writers who devised a new form of poetry full of wit, intellect, and grace, which we now call metaphysical poetry. They wrote about their deepest religious feelings and their carnal pleasures in a way that was radically new and challenging to their readers. Their work was largely misunderstood or ignored for two centuries, until twentieth-century critics rediscovered it, finding in it a deep originality and a willingness to experiment that made much conventional poetry look merely decorative. This collection provides the perfect introduction to this diverse group of fascinating poets.
Included in this audiobook:
The Anniversary by John Donne, read by Geoffrey Whitehead
The Good Morrow by John Donne, read by Geoffrey Whitehead
The Sun Rising by John Donne, read by Will Keen
The Canonisation by John Donne, read by Will Keen
A Valediction Forbidding Mourning by John Donne, read by Geoffrey Whitehead
A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy’s Day by John Donne, read by Geoffrey Whitehead
The Flea by John Donne, read by Will Keen
The Relic by John Donne, read by Will Keen
The Collar by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
Redemption by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
Love I by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
Love II by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
Love III by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
Jordan I by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
Jordan II by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
The Pearl by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
The Flower by George Herbert, read by Jonathan Keeble
To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell, read by Nicholas Boulton
The Coronet by Andrew Marvell, read by Nicholas Boulton
The Definition of Love by Andrew Marvell, read by Nicholas Boulton
The Garden by Andrew Marvell, read by Nicholas Boulton
On a Drop of Dew by Andrew Marvell, read by Nicholas Boulton
The Retreat by Henry Vaughan, read by Roy McMillan
The World by Henry Vaughan, read by Roy McMillan
They Are All Gone Into the World of Light by Henry Vaughan, read by Roy McMillan
To His (Supposed) Mistress by Richard Crashaw, read by Nicholas Boulton
To Our Lord, Upon the Water Made Wine by Richard Crashaw, read by Nicholas Boulton
Mediocrity in Love Rejected – by Thomas Carew, read by Nicholas Boulton
To a Lady That Desired I Would Love He by Thomas Carew, read by Nicholas Boulton
The Spring by Thomas Carew, read by Nicholas Boulton
Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury – To His Watch… by Edward, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, read by Roy McMillan
Hoc Ego Versiculos by Francis Quarles, read by Jonathan Keeble
On Time by Francis Quarles, read by Jonathan Keeble
On the World by Francis Quarles, read by Jonathan Keeble
Against Love by Katherine Philips, read by Laura Paton
John Hall – On an Hourglass by John Hall, read by Nicholas Boulton
Thomas Traherne – Shadows in the Water by Thomas Traherne, read by Jonathan Keeble
To Lucasta, Going to the Wars by Richard Lovelace, read by Nicholas Boulton
The Scrutiny by Richard Lovelace, read by Nicholas Boulton
Aubade The Lark Now Leaves… by Sir William Davenant, read by Nicholas Boulton
Sir John Suckling – Of Thee, Kind Boy, I Ask No Red and White by Sir John Suckling, read by Nicholas Boulton
Out Upon It, I Have Lov’d by Sir John Suckling, read by Nicholas Boulton
Edmund Waller – Of the Last Verses in the Book by Edmund Waller (1606–1687), read by Jonathan Keeble
Praise