The Invention of the Metaphor

I've recently been rereading the Metaphysical Poets - that loose group of Baroque poets from the 17th Century who did so much towards the helping of the shaping of out language and constructs, along with their use/invention of the metaphor.

 Herbert, Marvell and and the wonderful Donne all contribute to the wealth of English language with their genius in poetry and although they didn't know each other have common themes within their work.

Their writings contain a wonderful rich mix of scientific investigation and new terms coupled with their profound belief and a rich mix of amorousness and raunch. Their poems are intense meditations on life - sometimes peppered with wonderful wordplay, wit and irony. Marvell's Mistress is cool and almost dispassionate as he talks about time and the brevity of human life, but in John Donne we find passion and vigour and a rich intensity in descriptions of his love. So if you've missed what is happening in To His Coy Mistress or haven't read Donne's The Flea, time to read them again and enjoy the wonders and complexities of some wonderful poets - or better yet, get a lover to read them to in you bed - nestled in his or her arms on these wintry evenings.


     Had we but world enough, and time,
     This coyness, lady, were no crime.
     We would sit down and think which way
     To walk, and pass our long love's day;

Burn brightly, Pete