Life of John Donne :

A contemporary of Marlow and Shakespeare , Donne shares with them the spirit and
the quality of the Renaissance . he contradictions of the a!e are reflected in the
career and the achie"ement of Donne .he inconsistency of the #li$a%ethans is
mirrored in the comple& personality of Donne . a poet of intellectual in!enuity and
theolo!ical in!enuousness .he %riefest outline of Donne's life shows its intense
human interest . John Donne was %orn in (read Street London in )*+, to a
prosperous Roman -atholic family , a precarious thin! at a time when anti .-atholic
sentiment was rife in #n!land . /e was the eldest son of his parents . /is father was a
prosperous merchant of welsh ancestry , who rose to %e warden of the 0ronmon!ers
company in )*+1 .Donne's father died suddenly in )*+2 and left the three children to
%e raised %y their mother #li$a%eth /eywood the dau!hter of John /eywood
epi!rammatist and relati"e of Sir homas More . Donne's first teachers were Jesuits
.At the a!e of )) after recei"in! education pri"ately , Donne and his youn!er %rother
/enry were entered at /art /all , 3ni"ersity of 4&ford , where Donne studied for
three years . /e spent the ne&t three years at the 3ni"ersity of -am%rid!e , %ut took no
de!ree at either uni"ersity %ecause he would not take the 4ath of Supremacy required
at !raduation . 4f the years from )*51 to )*6, we know "ery little a%out John Donne .
/e was admitted to study law as a mem%er of ha"ies 0nn ,London in )*6) and mo"ed
to Lincoln's 0nn in )*6, . 0t seemed natural that Donne should em%ark upon a le!al or
diplomatic career . /e read "oraciously and li"ed !aily .Like many youn! mem%ers of
the 0nns of -ourt , Donne was fond of pleasure and company : 78ot dissolute %ut "ery
neat, a !reat "isitor of ladies , a !reat frequenter of plays and a !reat writer of
conceited "erses9. John Donne tells us that durin! that period , he 7of study and play
made stran!e hermaphrodites 7. Durin! these formati"e years , Donne studied %oth
law and reli!ion . 0n )*6: , Donne ;s %rother /enry died of a fe"er in prison after
%ein! arrested for !i"in! sanctuary to a proscri%ed catholic priest . his made Donne
%e!in to question his faith . /is first %ook of poems satires written durin! this period of
residence in London is considered one of Donne's most important literary efforts ./e
also wrote a num%er of son!s , ele!ies and satires %efore his twenty fifth year . /e
"isited 0taly in order to proceed to Jerusalem %ut pre"ented from doin! so , he passed
o"er into Spain , where he studies the laws , the lan!ua!e and the arts of Spain . /is
collection of %ooks contained many Spanish writers . he spirit of 0talian life and
literature and influence of Spanish philosophers and theolo!ians dominated his early
poetry . John Donne <oined the e&pedition of #sse& for -adi$ in )*62 and for the
A$ores in )*6+ and on sea and in camp found time to write poetry . wo of his %est
poems , 7he storm 9 and 7he calm 9 , %elon! to this period . Donne was %e!innin! a
promisin! career . /e sat in =ueen #li$a%eth's last parliament , for (rackley . 0n
)2>) ,he fell passionately and seriously in lo"e with Ann More , the youn! niece of the
Lord ?eeper and %y his secret marria!e to her , ruined his chances of a promisin!
diplomatic career . /e was imprisoned for the offence of marryin! a minor without her
!uardian's consent and the !irl's father , Sir @eor!e More , secured his dismissal from
#!erton . Aears of wanderin! and po"erty followed , until Sir @eor!e More for!a"e the
youn! lo"ers and made an allowance to his dau!hter . 0nstead of en<oyin! his new
comforts , Donne !rew more ascetic and intellectual in his tastes . /e refused also the
natterin! offer of enterin! the -hurch of #n!land and of recei"in! a comforta%le
li"in! .(y his 7pseudo Martyr he attracted the fa"or of James 0 , who persuaded him to
%e ordained , yet left him without any place or employment . when his wife died her
allowance ceased , and Donne was left with se"en children in e&treme po"erty . hen
he %ecame a preacher , and in four years was the !reatest of #n!lish preachers and
Dean of St. Baul's -athedral in London . /ere is "ariety enou!h to epitomi$e his a!e
and yet in all his life stron!er than any impression of outward weal or woe , is the
sense of mystery that surrounds Donne . Donne almost certainly would ha"e %ecome a
%ishop in )2:> . 4%sessed with the idea of death , Donne preached what was called his
own funeral sermon . Death's Duel , <ust a few weeks %efore he died in London on
March :) , )2:) .
he works of John Donne :
Donne's poetry is so une"en , at times so startlin! and fantastic , that few critics would
care to recommend it to others . 4nly a few will read his works , and they must %e left
to their own %rowsin! , to find what pleases them .
C)D John Donne's Secular Boetry :

he secular poems of John Donne may %e classified under the followin! headin!s:
CaD Son!s and Sonnets : CLo"e poems D

he finest of Donne's poems , the Son!s and Sonnets , cannot %e dated with any
certainty . (ut some were certainly written after his marria!e .Donne wrote the
se"enteenth /oly sonnet .Donne did not write for pu%lication . /e wrote to please
himself and his friends .4ri!inal as the Son!s and Sonnets are %rilliant "ariations on
stock themes . Donne's lo"e poems , Son!s and Sonnets are intense and su%tle analyses
of all the moods of a lo"er e&pressed in "i"id and startlin! lan!ua!e , which is
colloquial rather than con"entional . John Donne is essentially a psycholo!ical poet
whose primary concern is feelin! . Amon! the %est known and most typical of the
poems of this !roup are he #&tasy , Ealediction for%iddin! Mournin! , he @ood
Morrow , he Sun Risin! , and he Anni"ersary .
C%D he Satires :
Donne put much more into satire than any #n!lish writer did %efore him and in any
history of #n!lish "erse his satires would ha"e to %e descri%ed as a landmark . hese
satires are fi"e in num%er ,they are Away thou fondlin! motley humorist , Sir Fthou!h ,
?ind pity chokes my spleen , Gell F 0 may now recei"e and die , hou shalt not lau!h
in this leaf . Like #li$a%ethan satire , John Donne's satires are rou!h and harsh .
CcD he #le!ies :
he ele!ies are twenty in num%er . hey were first pu%lished in )2:: , althou!h they
were written in the early period of his life , most pro%a%ly in )*6>. hey are all lo"e
poems in loose iam%ic pentameter couplets and ha"e always had a reputation for
indecency . he titles of these ele!ies indicate their nature , Jealousy , he Ana!ram ,
-han!e , he perfume , /is picture , 4n /is Mistress @oin! to (ed , Lo"e's Bro!ress ,
Lo"e's Gar etc . he main features of the ele!ies are "i!our , concrete ima!ery , a set
of psycholo!ical attitudes .
CdD he pro!ress of the soul :
0t is a stran!e and fantastic poem which was written in )2>) %y John Donne .he
poem is one of which Donne would ha"e had enou!h reason to repent . /e used the
title a!ain perhaps %y way of e&piation for his Second Anni"ersary written ele"en
years later , in which he followed with -hristian fer"our the soul of a dead !irl on its
direct , innocent and orthodo& fli!ht to paradise .
CeD he Anni"ersaries :
he two Anni"ersaries were pu%lished in )2)). hey were written for Sir Ro%ert Drury
on the death of his dau!hter #li$a%eth . hese poems characteri$ed the transition from
the secular to the di"ine poems . hey re"eal the darker side of Donne's wit . he %asic
idea of these poems is that the death of one who is so youn! and innocent , makes the
world empty , "irtueless and rotten .
C,D Reli!ious poetry of John Donne :
/is reli!ious poetry was written after )2)> , and the lyrics such as A /ymn to @od the
Hather , after his wife's death in )2)+ . hey too are intense and personal and ha"e a
force unique in his mind %efore takin! orders in the An!lican -hurch . hey are the
e&pression of a deep and trou%le soul .
C:D Brose of John Donne :
Donne's prose work is considera%le %oth in %ulk and achie"ement .he pseudo .
Martyr was a defence of the oath of alle!iance , while 0!natius /is -oncla"e was a
satire upon 0!natius Loyola and the Jesuits. he %est introduction to Donne's prose is
howe"er ,throu!h his De"otions which !i"e an account of his spiritual stru!!les durin!
his serious illness . hey are direct and personal and also re"eal a keen psycholo!ical
insi!ht and the preoccupation with death and his own sinfulness which is also to %e
seen in his /oly Sonnets . Donne's sermons of which the finest is pro%a%ly Death's
Duel contain many of the features of his poetry . 0ntensely personal , their appeal is
primarily emotional and Donne seems to ha"e used a dramatic technique which had a
!reat hold on his audiences .
he life of @eor!e /er%ert :
@eor!e /er%ert was %orn in Mont!omery , Gales , on April :,)*6: , of a no%le Gales
family , the fifth son of Richard and Ma!dalen 8ewport /er%ert .After his father ;s
death in )*62 he and his si& %rothers and three sisters were raised %y their mother ,
patron to John Donne who dedicated his /oly Sonnets to her . (ein! %orn into an
artistic and wealthy family, he recei"ed a !ood education which led to his holdin!
prominent positions at -am%rid!e 3ni"ersity and Barliament. /er%ert
entered Gestminster School at or around the a!e of ), where he %ecame a day
student. hou!h sometime after he was ele"ated to the le"el of scholar. /er%ert later
was admitted on scholarship to rinity -olle!e, -am%rid!e in )2>6 where he
!raduated first with a (achelors and then with a masters de!ree in )2)2 at the a!e of
,:./er%ert uni"ersity course was %rilliant, after takin! his de!ree with distinction
,/er%ert was elected a ma<or fellow of rinity , in )2)5 he was appointed Reader in
Rhetoric at -am%rid!e , and in )2,> he was elected pu%lic orator . 0t was a post
carryin! di!nity . 0n )2,1 and )2,* /er%ert was elected to represent Mont!omery in
Barliament . 0n )2,2 , at the death of Sir Hrancis (acon , he contri%uted a memorial
poem in Latin . /er%ert's mother died in )2,+ F her funeral sermon was deli"ered %y
Donne . 0n )2,6 , /er%ert married his step . father's cousin Jane Dan"ers , while his
%rother #dward /er%ert , the noted philosopher and poet was raised to the peera!e as
Lord /er%ert of -hir%ury . /er%ert could ha"e used his post of orator to reach hi!h
political office , %ut instead !a"e up his secular am%itions ./er%ert took holy orders in
the -hurch of #n!land in )2:> and spent the rest of his life as rector in (emerton
near Salis%ury . At (emerton , @eor!e /er%ert preached and wrote poetry F helped
re%uild the church out of his own funds F he cared deeply for his parishioners ./e
came to %e known as /oly Mr. /er%ert around the countryside in the three years
%efore his death of consumption on March ),)2::.
he works of @eor!e /er%ert :
/er%ertIs poems are characteri$ed %y a precision of lan!ua!e, a metrical "ersatility,
and an in!enious use of ima!ery or conceits that was fa"ored %y the metaphysical
school of poets. /is first two sonnets , sent to his mother in )2)>, maintained that the
lo"e of @od is a worthier su%<ect for "erse than the lo"e of women ./is first "erses to %e
pu%lished in )2),, were two memorial poems in Latin on the death of prince /enry
,the heir apparent. /enry Eau!han said of him Ja most !lorious saint and
seerJ. hrou!hout his life he wrote reli!ious poems . An e&ample of /er%ert's
reli!ious poetry is 7he Altar.9 A Jpattern poem in which the words of the poem itself
form a shape su!!estin! an altar, and this altar %ecomes his conceit for how one
should offer himself as a sacrifice to the Lord. /e also makes allusions to scripture,
such as Bsalm *):)+, where it states that the Lord requires the sacrifice of a %roken
heart and a contrite spirit. /er%ert also wrote A Briest to the emple Cor he -ountry
BarsonD offerin! practical ad"ice to cler!y. 0n it, he ad"ises that Jthin!s of ordinary
useJ such as plou!hs, lea"en, or dances, could %e made to Jser"e for li!hts e"en of
/ea"enly ruthsJ.-harles -otton descri%ed him as a Jsoul composed of harmoniesJ.
.
hey include almost e"ery known form of son! and poem, %ut they also reflect
/er%ertIs concern with speechKKcon"ersational, persuasi"e, pro"er%ial. -arefully
arran!ed in related sequences, the poems e&plore and cele%rate the ways of @odIs lo"e
as /er%ert disco"ered them within the fluctuations of his own e&perience. (ecause
/er%ert is as much an ecclesiastical as a reli!ious poet, one would not e&pect him to
make much appeal to an a!e as secular as our ownF %ut it has not pro"ed so. All sorts
of readers ha"e responded to his quiet intensityF and the opinion has e"en %een "oiced
that he has, for readers of the late twentieth century, displaced Donne as the supreme
Metaphysical poet. 0n )2:: /er%ert finished a collection of poems entitled he emple,
which imitates the architectural style of churches throu!h %oth the meanin! of the
words and their "isual layout. he themes of @od and lo"e are treated %y /er%ert as
much as psycholo!ical forces as metaphysical phenomena. he emple consists of o"er
one hundred and fifty short poems and after pu%lished it met with enormous popular
acclaimLit had ): printin!s %y )25>.Amon! the remainin! poems of he emple one
of the most su!!esti"e is 7he pil!rima!e9 . /ere in si& short stan$a e"ery line closeK
packed with thou!ht ,we ha"e the whole of (unyan's pil!rim's pro!ress . he poem
was written pro%a%ly %efore (unyan was %orn , %ut remem%erin! the wide influence of
/er%ert's poetry , it is an interestin! question whether (unyan recei"ed the idea of his
immortal work from this 7pil!rima!e 9. pro%a%ly the %est known of all his poems is the
one called 7he pulley 9, which !enerally appears , howe"er under the name 7Rest9,
or 7he @ifts of @od 9. (arna%as 4ley edited in )2*, /er%ertIs Remains, or sundry
pieces of that Sweet Sin!er, Mr. @eor!e /er%ert, containin! A Briest to the emple, or
the country parson, Jacula Brudentum, Mc. Brefi&ed was an unsi!ned preface %y 4ley.
he second edition appeared in )2+) as A Briest to the emple or the -ountry Barson,
with a new preface, si!ned (arna%as 4ley. hese pieces were reprinted in later editions
of /er%ertIs Gorks. @eor!e /er%ertIs poetry has %een set to music %y se"eral
composers, includin! Ralph Eau!han Gilliams, Lenno& (erkeley, (en<amin
(ritten, Judith Geir, Randall hompson, Gilliam Galton and Batrick Larley .
he life of /enry Eau!han :
/enry Eau!han C)2,) N April ,:, )26*D was a Gelsh physician and metaphysical poet.
he (ritish poet /enry Eau!han , one of the finest poets of the metaphysical school,
wrote "erse marked %y mystical intensity, sensiti"ity to nature, tranquility of tone, and
power of wordin!. /enry Eau!han was %orn into a middleKclass Gelsh family in )2,)
to homas Eau!han and Denise Mor!an in 8ewtonKuponK3sk in (reconshire, Gales.
(oth /enry and his twin homas were schooled locally %y the rector of Llan!attock
C-rickhowellD, the Re". Matthew /er%ert. his occupied si& years precedin! their
attendance at Jesus -olle!e, 4&ford, #n!land in )2:5. 3nlike his %rother, who
remained to recei"e a de!ree and %ecome a noted hermetic philosopher and alchemist,
around )21>, Eau!hanIs family influenced him to pursue a career in law to the
a%andonment of an 4&ford de!ree. So /enry left 4&ford in )21> without takin! a
de!ree, and spent two years in London studyin! law. /is studies were interrupted %y
the -i"il Gar in which Eau!han %riefly took the ?in!Is side. /e is thou!ht to ha"e
ser"ed on the Royalist side in South Gales sometime around )21*. Eau!han returned
to (reconshire in )21, as secretary to Jud!e Lloyd, and later %e!an to practice
medicine. . (y )212, he had married -atherine Gise with whom he reared a son,
homas, and three dau!hters, Lucy, Hrances, and -atherine. A%out )2*> he was
con"erted to a reli!ious life under the influence of @eor!e /er%ert . his inclination
was reinforced %y the death of his %rother Gilliam F his own illness
intensified Eau!han Is !ra"ity. As an ardent Royalist he was distressed %y political
e"ents %ut found consolation in the scenery of the 3sk Ealley . /e also turned to
the readin! of de"otional works and occult philosophy and %e!an to practise as a
physician . After the death of his first wife, Eau!han married her sister #li$a%eth
possi%ly in )2**. Eau!han had another son, and three more dau!hters %y his second
wife. 0n his later years he %ecame in"ol"ed in le!al wran!les with his older children.
Eau!han spent most of his life in the "illa!e of Llansantffraed, near (recon . As is the
case with many !reat writers and poets, /enry Eau!han was acclaimed less durin! his
lifetime than after his death on April ,:, )26*, a!ed +1. /e is %uried in the churchyard
of St (rid!etIs, Llansantffraed, Bowys. /e is reco!nised Jas another e&ample of a poet
who can write %oth !raceful and effecti"e proseJ and influenced the work of poets
such as Gordsworth, ennyson and Sie!fried Sassoon. he American science fiction
writer Bhilip ?. Dick e"en named Eau!han as a key influence. hou!h his poetry did
not attract much attention for a lon! time after his death, Eau!han is now esta%lished
as one of the finest reli!ious poets in the lan!ua!e, and in some respects he surpassed
his literary and spiritual master, @eor!e /er%ert.
he works of /enry Eau!han :
Eau!han is a poet in whom it is easy to trace the influence of others, particularly the
wit of John Donne and the quiet, understated, dramatic technique of @eor!e /er%ert,
to whom he credited his reli!ious con"ersion. At its weakest Eau!hanIs "erse is too
plainly deri"ati"e, and not infrequently a poem remains "alua%le today for no more
than a stan$a or a line. At his %est, howe"erKKa %est that created some of the most
%eautiful lyrics in #n!lish poetryKKhis "oice is profoundly personal, and his a%ility to
maintain the emotional tension of a poem can %e impressi"e. Much of his power
deri"es from a mystical -hristian 8eoplatonism that he does not share with his poetic
masters and that re"eals itself in ima!es of da$$lin! li!ht, in cosmic "isions, and in a
fusion of Blatonic concepts, such as the descent of man from the Jsea of li!htJ of his
childhood to an alienated adulthood, e&pressed in %i%lical motifs, ima!es, and
lan!ua!e. /is !enius can %est %e su!!ested %y the openin! of Jhe Gorld,J in which a
mystical "ision is successfully con"eyed in the %oldest tone of understatement: J0 saw
eternity the other ni!htO Like a !reat rin! of pure and endless li!ht,O All calm as it was
%ri!ht....J. 0n )212 Boems with the enth Satire of Ju"enal #n!lished was pu%lished.
he poems were secular in theme and attracted little attention. he ne&t year he wrote
the preface to a second "olume, 4lor 0scanus Che Swan of 3skD, which did not appear
until )2*)F like the earlier "olume, it comprises secular poems and translations and
shows little inspiration. he ma<or poetry of Eau!han, all reli!ious in nature, was
pu%lished in )2*> and )2** in the two parts of Sile& scintillans CSparklin! HlintD.
Some of the %est poems in it are Jhe Mornin! Gatch,J Jhe Retreat,J J-hildhood,J
Jhe Dawnin!,J and JBeace.J /e pu%lished more reli!ious "erse and prose in his
later years, and a num%er of translations, %ut nothin! after the !reat "olumes of the
)2*>s retains much interest. he period shortly precedin! the pu%lication of /enry
Eau!hanIs Sile& Scintillans marked an important period of his life. -ertain indications
in the first "olume and e&plicit statements made in the preface to the second "olume
of Sile& Scintillans su!!est that Eau!han suffered a prolon!ed sickness that inflicted
much pain. Eau!han interprets this e&perience to %e an encounter with death and a
wakeKup call to his Jmisspent youthJ. Eau!han Is chief works also are he Mount of
4li"es , )2*, FHlores Solitudinis , )2*1 . #"en thou!h Eau!han would pu%lish a final
collection of poems with the title halia Redi"i"a in )2+5, his reputation rests primarily
on the achie"ement of Sile& Scintillans. 0n the preface to the )2** edition Eau!han
descri%ed /er%ert as a J%lessed man ... whose holy life and verse !ained many
pious -on"erts Cof whom 0 am the leastD.J Eau!hanIs transition from the influence of
the Jaco%ean neoclassical poets to the Metaphysicals was one manifestation of his
reaction to the #n!lish -i"il Gar. Durin! the time the -hurch of #n!land was
outlawed and radical Brotestantism was in ascendancy, Eau!han kept faith with
/er%ertIs church throu!h his poetic response to /er%ertIs Temple C)2::D.
Eau!han was %ilin!ual, and there are traces of Gelsh influence in his poetry, which
also reflects his lo"e of his tranquil nati"e "alley. 0n his fondness for solitary
communion with nature and his reminiscences of childhood he anticipates
Gordsworth .
he life of Andrew Mar"ell :
he son of a priest, the poet Andrew Mar"ell was %orn at Ginestead in /olderness,
Aorkshire , #n!land , on March :) ,)2,) to the Re" . /e was the fourth child and first
son of his parents . he fifth and last child of the family , a %oy , died at the a!e of
one , and Andrew Mar"ell therefore !rew up as an only son with three elder sisters,
Anne , Mary , and #li$a%eth . 0n )2,1 the family mo"ed from Ginestead to /ull when
Andrew was three and a half years old .Mar"ell %ecame lecturer in /oly rinity
-hurch . Mar"ell was admitted to the /ull @rammar School which had a stron!
connections with -am%rid!e 3ni"ersity . At the a!e of twel"e , Andrew proceeded to
-am%rid!e where he matriculated as a si$ar of rinity -olle!e , -am%rid!e . 0n )2:5
he was admitted a scholar of his colle!e and took his (.A. de!ree in the same year . At
-am%rid!e he is %elie"ed to ha"e written some poetry . A few days after recei"in! his
scholarship , Mar"ell's mother died in )2:5 and after a few months his father
remarried . Mar"ell remained a few more years in residence , lea"in! -am%rid!e only
after his father's death %y drownin! while crossin! the ri"er /um%er %y %oat in )21> .
/is father's %ody was ne"er found , in meantime two of his sisters had !ot married ,
and the third !ot married soon afterwards . 0t is uncertain what Mar"ell did in the
years that followed . 0t is possi%le that he held a clerkship in his %rother .inKlaw
#dmund Bopples tradin! house from )21>K)21, .Hrom )21,K)211 Andrew Mar"ell
went a%road , tra"elin! in /olland , Hrance , 0taly , and Spain F%ut details of this
#uropean tour are not a"aila%le . 4ne thin! is certain %esides @reek and Latin which
he had already studied , he now went on to learn Dutch , lan!ua!e . his fact is
corro%orated %y the testimony of John Milton who wrote that Mar"ell spent these years
7to "ery !ood purpose and the !ainin! of those four lan!ua!es . 0t seems certain that
until the e&ecution of -harles 0 on the :>
th
January )216 , Mar"ell was a loyal su%<ect
of his kin! and kept Royalist company , sharin! his companions distrust of -romwell
and Hairfa& . 0n )2*> , Mar"ell %ecame the tutor of twel"e year old Mary Hairfa& ,
dau!hter of Sir homas Hairfa& retired Lord @eneral of the parliamentary forces . At
the Aorkshire seat of the Hairfa& family , 8un Appleton /ouse ,Mar"ell seems to ha"e
written o"er a period of a%out three years , most of his nonKsatiric #n!lish poems . At
the %e!innin! of )2*: Mar"ell was introduced to the poet John Milton , on whose
recommendation Mar"ell !ot an appointment as tutor at #ton -olle!e to a %oy ,
Gilliam Dutton .0n Septem%er ,)2*+ , Mar"ell was appointed assistant to John
Milton ,Latin Secretary for the -ommonwealth. 4n the 2
th
Decem%er )2*5 the new
Bri"y -ouncil decided to call a new Barliament ,usin! the old constituency %asis .
Andrew Mar"ell's name was chosen %y the corporation of /ull for nomination as one
of the two candidates ,and Mar"ell was duty elected . 0n his quiet way he seems to ha"e
%een helpful after the Restoration is sa"in! Milton from an e&tended <ail term and
possi%le e&ecution ,Startin! in )2*6 . Mar"ell was also elected to the new Barliament .
his -a"alier Barliament lasted until January )2+6 , and Mar"ell remained a Mem%er
till his death . 4n the )2
th
Au!ust )2+5 Mar"ell died of Malaria in @reat Russell
Street , London in a house . 4n the )5
th
Au!ust he was %uried inside the -hurch of St.
@iles in /ull . Mar"ell had ne"er married and died a %achelor . he century which
followed Mar"ell ;s death remem%ered him almost e&clusi"ely as a politician and
pamphleteer .
he works of Andrew Mar"ell :
he life and work of Andrew Mar"ell are %oth marked %y e&traordinary "ariety and
ran!e . 0t is upon his poems that Mar"ell's literary reputation mainly rests. Aet ,
stran!ely enou!h , these were scarcely known at all to his own contemporaries .
Mar"ell's poetic output was "ery small . /e wrote <ust a%out forty poems in #n!lish
and a few in Latin . wo poems %y Mar"ell, one in @reek , one in Latin , were printed
in the 7Musa -anta%ri!iensis 9 in )2:+ . After )211 when Mar"ell returned to London
from forei!n tour , the first poem he wrote for pu%lication was entitled 7o /is 8o%le
Hriend Mr .Richard Lo"elace 3pon /is poems which can confidently %e dated in
Decem%er )21+ . 0n )215 Mar"ell wrote An #le!y upon the Death of My Lord Hrancis
Eilliers . Mar"ell wrote another ele!y a year later , 3pon the Death of Lord
/astin!s ./e wrote se"eral poems in )2*> : An /oratian 4de 3pon -romwell's Return
from 0reland in July , and om May's Death in Decem%er . (oth these poems ha"e a
London %ack!round .o the same period pro%a%ly %elon! Mar"ell's 7o his -oy
Mistress 9 and 7he Definition of Lo"e 9. Mar"ell wrote two poems in honour of Lord
Hairfa& :3pon Appleton /ouse and 3pon the /ill and @ro"e at (il%rou!h .
Hurthermore he wrote the last three of the four 7Mower9 poems and the pastoral
Ametas and hestylis Makin! /ay .Ropes and he wrote Music's #mpire . he
influence of the piety and reli!ious atmosphere of 4&en . %rid!e's household at !a"e a
new direction to Mar"ell's poetic art . At #ton he wrote not only (ermudas ,%ut si&
other important poems : A Dialo!ue (etween the Resol"ed Soul and -reated
Bleasure F A Dialo!ue (etween the (ody and Soul F4n a Drop of Dew F he
-oronet F#yes and earsF and -lorinda and Damon . All these poems are reli!ious in
character . /e also wrote at #ton a political poem : he Hirst Anni"ersary of the
@o"ernment 3nder 4li"er -romwell ,which is a personal tri%ute to the Lord protector
and a patriotic eulo!y of #n!land's new international stren!th . 0n )2*5 Mar"ell wrote
A poem 3pon the Death of 4li"er -romwell . 0n )2+1 . )2+* he once a!ain wrote "erse
satires . /e wrote four poems of this kind , snipin! at %oth -harles 0 and -harles 00
%ut all four had to wait to %e printed posthumously . Mar"ell's Miscellaneous poems
were printed posthumously in )25) . Mar"ell's prose works consist of a lon! series of
8ewsKletters , which he wrote daily to his constituents on the happenin!s in Barliament
and also of certain contro"ersial works which he wrote %ecause of his lo"e of fair play .
/is chief prose work of another kind was his Rehearsal ransprosed . Hor a lon! time
Mar"ell the poet was ne!lected , %ut su%sequently ,especially in the ,>
th
century his
reputation as a poet soared to eminence ./is pro!ress to reco!nition was for a lon!
time a matter of slow and haltin! steps .