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George Herbert
George Herbert (April 3, 1593 – March 1, 1633) was an English preacher, poet, and priest whose ministry and writings shaped Anglican devotional life in the 17th century. Born in Montgomery, Wales, to Richard Herbert, a wealthy landowner and member of Parliament, and Magdalen Newport, a cultured patron of poets like John Donne, he was the fifth of ten children in an artistic, noble family. Educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge—where he earned a B.A. in 1613 and an M.A. in 1616—he excelled in Latin, Greek, and music, becoming Public Orator at Cambridge in 1620, a role that brought him favor with King James I and a brief stint in Parliament (1624–1625). Herbert’s preaching career emerged after a shift from secular ambition following King James’s death in 1625. Ordained a deacon in 1626 and a priest in 1630, he served as rector of Fugglestone St Peter and Bemerton, near Salisbury, until his death. His sermons, delivered with heartfelt conviction, reflected his care for parishioners—visiting the sick, aiding the poor, and rebuilding the church with his own funds—earning him the title "Holy Mr. Herbert." His poetry, collected in The Temple (published posthumously in 1633), doubled as sermons in verse, exploring spiritual conflicts and divine love, while his prose work A Priest to the Temple (1652) offered practical guidance for rural clergy. Married to Jane Danvers in 1629, with no children of their own, they adopted three orphaned nieces. Herbert died at age 39 in Bemerton from tuberculosis.
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George Herbert emphasizes the fleeting nature of worldly pleasures and the deceptive allure of temporary delights that ultimately lead to sorrow and regret. He contrasts the superficial beauty of worldly joys with the purifying and revealing nature of choosing a simpler, yet more meaningful path. Herbert uses the metaphor of a rose to symbolize the choice between worldly pleasures that bring temporary sweetness but eventual bitterness, and the lasting joy found in choosing a path of repentance and spiritual health.
The Rose
Press me not to take more pleasure In this world of sugred lies, And to use a larger measure. Than my strict, yet welcome size. First, there is no pleasure here: Colour'd griefs indeed there are, Blushing woes, that look as clear As if they could beauty spare. Or if such deceits there be, Such delights I meant to say, There are no such things to me, Who have pass'd my right away. But I will not much oppose Unto what you now advise: Only take this gentle rose, And therein my answer lies. What is fairer than a rose? What is sweeter? yet it purgeth. Purgings enmity disclose, Enmity forbearance urgeth. If then all that worldlings prize Be contracted to a rose; Sweetly there indeed it lies, But it biteth in the close. So this flower doth judge and sentence Worldly joys to be a scourge: For they all produce repentance, And repentance is a purge. But I health, not physic choose: Only, though I you oppose, Say that fairly I refuse, For my answer is a rose.
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George Herbert (April 3, 1593 – March 1, 1633) was an English preacher, poet, and priest whose ministry and writings shaped Anglican devotional life in the 17th century. Born in Montgomery, Wales, to Richard Herbert, a wealthy landowner and member of Parliament, and Magdalen Newport, a cultured patron of poets like John Donne, he was the fifth of ten children in an artistic, noble family. Educated at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge—where he earned a B.A. in 1613 and an M.A. in 1616—he excelled in Latin, Greek, and music, becoming Public Orator at Cambridge in 1620, a role that brought him favor with King James I and a brief stint in Parliament (1624–1625). Herbert’s preaching career emerged after a shift from secular ambition following King James’s death in 1625. Ordained a deacon in 1626 and a priest in 1630, he served as rector of Fugglestone St Peter and Bemerton, near Salisbury, until his death. His sermons, delivered with heartfelt conviction, reflected his care for parishioners—visiting the sick, aiding the poor, and rebuilding the church with his own funds—earning him the title "Holy Mr. Herbert." His poetry, collected in The Temple (published posthumously in 1633), doubled as sermons in verse, exploring spiritual conflicts and divine love, while his prose work A Priest to the Temple (1652) offered practical guidance for rural clergy. Married to Jane Danvers in 1629, with no children of their own, they adopted three orphaned nieces. Herbert died at age 39 in Bemerton from tuberculosis.