Today we began a four-part online series on the poets of the English mystical tradition. This series considered short poems of Thomas Traherne, D.H. Lawrence, Henry Vaughan, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, John Donne, George Herbert, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and e.e. cummings. The course was taught by Fr. Mark Brown. You can find sermons by Father Brown in the resources section this page.
The first class in the series is entitled “Raptures and Ecstasies,” and focused on “The Rapture” by Thomas Traherne and “Song of a Man Who Has Come Through” by D.H. Lawrence. A video of the class is available above.
Videos of the Other Three Classes in this Series
Links to the poems discussed can be found beneath each date.
July 19 (Nocturnes: Henry Vaughan and Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
- The Night, by Henry Vaughn
- Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
July 26 (Resistance: John Donne and George Herbert)
- Batter my heart, three-person’d God, by John Donne
- Love (III), by George Herbert
August 2 (Everything Yes: Gerard Manley Hopkins and e.e. cummings)
- God’s Grandeur, by Herard Manley Hopkins
- i thank You God for most this amazing, by e.e. cummings
The liturgical and devotional lives of Anglicans have been greatly enriched by the contribution of poets. Some of this poetry can be thought of as “mystical,” in the sense of expressing a direct, personal encounter with the Divine, if not strictly orthodox.
Resources
A Sermon for the Fifth Sunday of EasterA Sermon for the Last Sunday After the Epiphany
“Dreams and Visions”: The New Jerusalem
