Poet’s Corner: Herbert

3 February 2026

(18 April 2014) Another poet from the early 17th century that I have always like is George Herbert, who gave us the ‘shape’ poem, in other words, a poem whose visual presentation reinforces the poem’s meaning:

Easter Wings

Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more
Till he became
Most poor:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.

My tender age in sorrow did begin:
And still with sickness and shame
Thou didst so punish sin,
That I became
Most thin.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel this day thy victory;
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.

The ‘shape’ of this poems, formed to represent the wings of angels, reinforces the message of flight in many different forms, although for Herbert, it is a religious flight from sin and error. I used this idea in one of my very early poems, creating the shape of a double-headed spearpoint, or arrow point, to convey in the shape the idea, similar to Herbert, of being assailed by sin and error. The poem is “Darts” and included in the Stones in the Stream collection. Until next time . . . good reading!