Consider Herbert as a religious poet.

 Herbert’s Distinguishing Traits

Certain features can be noted in Herbert’s poetry that distinguishes his poetry from the other poets of his time.

His poems are simple and lucid which suggests of an excellent technical skill. Herbert was able to manipulate his verses in order to reflect thematic patterns, a skill that can also be seen in Milton.

His choice of words which appear to be simple, expand outwards in accordance with the given context of the poem. For example, let us consider his poem The Pulley. This poem talks about God bestowing all the gifts to man except one. And that would be peace so that it acts like a pulley to draw man back to the divine grace.

One thing which is worth noticing about Herbert’s poem is his language. His language is courtly and urbane. His verse shows much more influence of Ben Jonson than Donne, as he uses varied and musical verse form which has a neatness and poise about it.

Though Herbert is a devotional poet he is not usual. His voice may be gentle but his craftsmanship is brilliant. Herbert’s view of man is as the secretary of God’s praise. And just like God’s secretary, he is always in control and exact, methodical, honest, and modest. We can also find the theme of man’s rebellion against god but in such poems, there is always reconciliation at the end of the poem.

The Christian Inspiration

One thing that we should remember about Herbert’s poem is that his poem is of a very private nature and was written for only his friend and also was published by his friends after his death with the motive of helping those who face the same sort of spiritual conflicts.

Herbert was devoted to Christian ideology. Another important point about him is that he is a predominantly Christian poet and the rituals of Christianity bear great significance for him.

In his poem The Collar, we can see how the ritual of the Eucharist works as a visible symbol of the invisible grace for him.  Herbert is not an orator or a preacher but is more of a dramatist. In most of his poems, the reader can identify him/ herself in the center of the poem.

Rapport With The Religious Poet

It is not that a reader needs to be Christian in order to understand and appreciate Herbert’s poetry.

His poems contain the theme of personal god and the poet’s personal relationship with him. These concepts are not specific to any one religion or literary tradition. Though there is any doubt that the poet was deeply moved by the Christian doctrines and ideology, but still it can be understood and appreciated in light of any religious background.

All is required is an eye for imagining the kind of faith that exists in the poet’s heart for his god.  Herbert in his collection of poems named The Temple, tells us about the journey of the soul from the first spiritual awakening to find the acceptance and hope of peaceful union with god, and in order to do so how it has go through various conflicts and struggle.

Poetic Self – Divine And Human Love

Unlike the 17th-century love poetry, Herbert focuses on the love of God. Here lies a difference between Donne and Herbert. Donne in his poetry presents the dialogues between God and his own self which depict the conflicts of his self in a logical manner, but in Herbert’s poetry, we don’t find any sort of argument or hortatory discourse. 

Herbert is more concerned about the implication of traditional Christian beliefs. His firm belief in the church makes him believe on the Christian rituals. The source of inspiration for Herbert is his feeling for love and charity. He seems to be more concerned about how God’s grace operates on earth. He is more earthly and concerned about how man’s life can be transformed by God’s grace.

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