George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh-born poet and Anglican priest. He came from a wealthy family and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. After a brief period in Parliament, he took holy orders in the Church of England and spent the rest of his life as a parish priest. As a priest, he was devoted to serving his parishioners' spiritual and physical needs. Throughout his life, he wrote religious poems in a metaphysical style that used imaginative language and concepts to explore themes of love and religion. His poem "Love" portrays a dialogue between God, who invites the speaker to a feast, and the speaker, who feels unworthy to attend due to his sinfulness.

1. Love
George Herbert

2. George Herbert (1593 – 1633)
• Welsh-born poet and Anglican priest
• Born into an artistic & wealthy family
• Admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge, with
the intention of becoming a priest
• He became his university’s ‘Public Orator’
• Attracted the attention of King James 1, and
served in Parliament briefly (1624 – 1625)
• After the death of King James, his interest in
becoming a priest was renewed.

3. • In his mid-thirties he took holy order in the
Church of England
• Spent the rest of his life as the rector of the little
parish of Fugglestone St Peter
• He served his parishioners extremely well,
reaching out to them when they were ill,
providing food and clothing
• Always a sickly man, he died of consumption
(tuberculosis) aged 39.

4. Style & Influences
• Throughout his life he wrote religious poems
• Precision of language and ingenious use of imagery
• He is regarded as a ‘metaphysical’ poet – a style characterised
by far-fetched concepts and the use of unusual similes and
metaphors. Metaphysical poets often speculated about love
and religion.
• He was enormously popular and influential in his time
• All of his poems were published together in 1633
• When he sent his poems to Nicholas Ferrar, he said that "he
shall find in it a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that
have passed between God and my soul, before I could subject
mine to the will of Jesus, my Master".
• The poems imitate the architectural style of churches through
both the meaning of the words and their visual layout.

5. Summary
• This poem reads like a conversation.
• The dialogue is between the host of a feast and a
guest.
• Herbert imagines God has invited him to a feast.
The feast stands for a communion service in a
church.
• Herbert, in the role of the guest, feels guilty of sin.
He feels he cannot go in to the feast or communion.
Herbert argues that he doesn’t deserve to attend the
feast.
• God tries to persuade the shy guest to enter the
feast.

7. Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked any thing.

8. A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

9. Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.

10. Wrap-up
• Herbert explores the complex relationship
between a remorseful sinner and a forgiving God
• Shows Herbert, despite being a very religious
man, was not confident about entering Heaven
when he died
• Poem shows his deep reverence for God
• He is describing the most pure form of love
possible for humans – the love of God
• He is showing the GOD = LOVE (absolute,
unconditional love)

11. Essay Question
• Examine the ways in which Herbert vividly
portrays the love between God and Man in his
poem ‘Love’