Robert Herrick's epigrams and Noble numbers

Abstract

Robert Herrick's single book of poetry, Hesperides, received little attention when published in 1648, and was soon forgotten, though some of the songs in it continued to be published anonymously. When the work was rediscovered in 1796, Herrick was hailed as a superb lyricist whose lapses into bad taste or even indecency made the reading of his entire work untenable for decent people. Consequently, he became a poet of anthologies; and his lyrical use of the carpe diem motif and of other classical material earned him the title "pagan-priest." These misconceptions continue. But although his lyrics and epigrams have classical sources for much of their content and structure, Herrick's work is more Anglican than pagan in its eclecticism. Anglican spokesmen such as Richard Hooker and Jeremy Taylor found much in pagan literature to correspond with Christian thought; so did Robert Herrick. Further, much of Herrick's work is based upon allegorical and microcosmic correspondences, which gives added depth to his poetry. The Christian tenor of Herrick's work is visible throughout Hesperides. His carpe diem poems use the pagan concept to illustrate a Christi.an morality, as in "To the Virgins"; his epigrams, both sententious and satiric, are in the Christian tradition of homiletics and invective; his religious verse, the Noble Numbers, recapitulates the structure and purpose of the Anglican liturgy.