“Nature” by George Herbert

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend April 16, 2017   Nature   George Herbert

Full of rebellion, I would die, Or fight, or travell, or denie That thou hast ought to do with me.                           O tame my heart;                     It is thy highest art To captivate strong holds to thee.   If thou shalt let this venome lurk, And in suggestions fume and work, My soul will turn to bubbles straight,                           And thence by kinde                    Vanish into a winde, Making thy workmanship deceit.   O smooth my rugged heart, and there Engrave thy rev'rend law and fear; Or make a new one, since the old                           Is saplesse grown,                    And a much fitter stone To hide my dust, then thee to hold.            This poem is in the public domain. About This Poem   "Nature" was published in The Temple (Thom. Buck and Roger Daniel, 1633). This version of "Nature" appeared in the 1876 edition of The Temple, published by W. Wells Gardner.   George Herbert was born on April 3, 1593, in Wales. In 1633, all of Herbert's English poems were published in The Temple (Printed by Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel, 1633). He died in 1633.   Portrait: Robert White, 1674 Poetry by Herbert   The Complete Poetry (Penguin Classics, 2015) "Delight in Disorder" by Robert Herrick "Epigram on Rough Woods" by Robert Burns "A Thousand Martyrs I Have Made" by Aphra Behn Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. If you enjoy Poem-a-Day, please consider making a donation to help make it possible. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038