The Metaphysical Poets

Hosted by Chris Piuma and Suzanne Conklin Akbari

Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may,
And now, like amorous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour
Than languish in his slow-chapped power.
Let us roll all our strength and all
Our sweetness up into one ball,
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Through the iron gates of life:
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.

Chris and Suzanne wrap up their cluster on Sex by looking at some Metaphysical Poets —namely, Andrew Marvell and John Donne. How and why do they use philosophical ideas and argumentation in their poetry? What is going on, formally and structurally? And is it erotic, and if so… where do the erotic interests lie? Women? Nature? God? The poets themselves?

39. The Metaphysical Poets.

The Spouter-Inn Poems by Andrew Marvell and John Donne. More episodes

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Show Notes.

The selection of poems we looked at. [PDF]

An anthology of Metaphysical poetry. [Bookshop.]

More poems by Marvell and Donne.

A review of a recent biography of Andrew Marvell [Nigel Smith: Andrew Marvell: The Chameleon].

A recent acquisition of a manuscript of Donne poems that circulated through his coterie.

Next: Mart Crowley: The Boys in the Band. [Bookshop.]

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