Today we continued 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 July 19th class is entitled “Nocturnes,” and it focused on “The Night” by Henry Vaughan and “Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Videos of the Other Three Classes in this Series
Links to the poems discussed can be found beneath each date.
July 12 (Raptures and Ecstasies: Thomas Traherne and D.H. Lawrence)
- The Rapture, by Thomas Traherne
- Song of Man who has Come Through, by DH Lawrence
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
