April Poet – George Herbert – Sonnet I

Why Idolize What May Be Rejected by the Worms?

Apr 27, 2009

Written when the poet was about sixteen years old, George Herbert's "Sonnet I" features a speaker who is precocious in his wisdom and prescient in his awareness.

In 1610, Herbert sent two sonnets to his mother as a gift for the New Year’s celebration. About those sonnets he explained, “They declare my resolution to be, that my poor Abilities in Poetry shall be all, and ever consecrated to Gods glory.” Remarkably, Herbert wrote these sonnets when he was in his mid-teens.

“Sonnet I” is a variation on the English sonnet; instead of the traditional rime scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG, Herbert’s sonnet varies the third quatrain, resulting in EFFE. The other quatrains and couplet keep the traditional rime scheme.

First Quatrain: “My God, where is that ancient heat towards thee”

Addressing God directly, the speaker is seeking an answer to the question of why people, particularly poets, no longer demonstrate a deep devotion to God. In the past, many “Martyrs” burned for God, even as they maintained interest in other things. He suggests that “poetry” has become mere decoration, dedicated to romantic love that eventually fades. He wonders if poetry simply exists to serve venality.

Continuing his query of God, the speaker then asks, “Why are not Sonnets made of thee?” He finds God more alluring and motivating than any of the people and things in God’s creation. Thus, the speaker also wonders why songs do not burn with devotion for the Divine.

The speaker’s question, “Cannot thy love / Heighten a spirit to sound out thy praise / As well as any she?” suggests that God’s love should motivate men’s souls as easily as the sight of a beautiful woman does.

Third Quatrain: “Cannot thy Dove / Out-strip their Cupid easily in flight?”

Then speaker asks God if His “Dove” cannot overtake “their Cupid[‘s arrow]” in targeting the hearts of humankind. Since God’s “wayes are deep” and widely known, the speaker wonders why poetry cannot accommodate itself to the name of God.

The final line of quatrain three begins the speaker’s final question, which concludes in the couplet: “Why doth that fire, which by thy power and might.”

Couplet: “Each breast does feel, no braver fuel choose”

The final question summarizes and emphasizes the criticism of the absurdity of attaching so much attention, time, and energy to something that will one day become food for the worms, that is, unless the worms decide not to eat it.

This speaker deems the human body to be an unfit vehicle to serve as the object of profound contemplation that so many of his contemporary poets tend to think it is. Alas, the state of affairs has not changed, lo these four centuries hence.

The copyright of the article April Poet – George Herbert – Sonnet I in British Poetry is owned by Linda Sue Grimes. Permission to republish April Poet – George Herbert – Sonnet I in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.