A Year with George Herbert: A Guide to Fifty-Two of His Best Loved Poems

by Jim Scott Orrick

Since 1633, when The Temple was first published, many notable Christians have testified of their love for George Herbert's poetry. The great nineteenth-century preacher C. H. Spurgeon and his wife would sometimes read Herbert's poetry together on Sunday evenings. Richard Baxter wrote, "Herbert speaks to God like one that really believeth a God, and whose business in the world is most with God." C. S. Lewis described Herbert as "a man who seemed to me to excel all the authors I had ever read in conveying the very quality of life as we actually live it from moment to moment . . ." Regrettably, as the years have passed, Herbert's poetry has been increasingly neglected outside the academy. Many who would love Herbert have never even heard of him. Others feel intimidated by his poetry, fearing that they do not have the education necessary to understand what Herbert has written. In this book, Jimmy Scott Orrick has made the poetry of George Herbert accessible even to those who have had no experience reading poetry. In addition to providing thorough notes for each poem, Orrick also gives basic pointers about how to read poetry. Why not follow C. H. Spurgeon's example and "have a page or two of good George Herbert" on your Sunday evenings? Those who follow this prescription will be deeply enriched for having spent A Year with George Herbert.

Genres: Poetry, Literature

174 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 2011

About the author

Jim Scott Orrick is professor at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as the author of A Year with George Herbert: A Guide to Fifty-Two of His Best Loved Poems.

Reviews

[Shawn]

A really helpful guide!

[Mary]

If you have never read George Herbert, stop what you are doing and go read his poetry! His insights into Christ's sufferings, his own struggles in the faith, and Christian living are both profound and accessible. Absolutely amazing!

[Kate Paine]

Poetry is a song for the soul. George Herbert glorifies God and enlightens the heart through beautiful words and deep meaning.

[Ethan McCarter]

This book introduced me to the metaphysical poet George Herbert. He isn't as well know as his contemporary John Milton of "Paradise Lost" fame, or perhaps as much as John Donne, but he is a titan of English poetry in his own right. Orrick excellently guides the reader through 52 of his most famed poems such as Easter Wings, Sepulcher, and Resurrection. He also provides commentary and introductory material to each poem to guide the reader in their understanding of Herbert. Perhaps not as talented a poet as Milton, the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars, plus some of these I'm not sure why Orrick chose over others; but, an excellent introduction into his poetry. I fell in love with Herbert's poetry after being taught by Dr. Orrick in college; give it a shot and you'll love it too! If there's no emotional response after walking with Herbert through his poetic journey, then you are more Stoic than the vast bulk of Reformed Christians; which is saying a lot!

[Eric Targe]

George Hebert was (and I imagine, in heaven, still is) an amazing poet. My review is not so much of his poetry, which was a great blessing to my soul as I sought to read it slowly over the course of this year, but rather of the collection, notes, and questions assembled by Jim Scott Orrick to better understand Herbert’s poetry.

I highly recommend this book for those who have enjoyed Herbert’s poetry or would long to understand it, but have struggled understanding terms and phrases whose meanings have changed over the centuries. Orrick’s footnotes and questions were incredibly helpful for making these, almost 400 year old, poems come to life in my soul and move me toward a deeper love and faithfulness to Christ as they did for so many saints before. I am incredibly grateful for Herbert’s poetry in this collection and Orrick being willing to serve as a guide through it.

[Robert McDonald]

Discovering Malcolm Guite some two years ago came with the realization of how little poetry I’ve read, how bad I am at understanding it, and the beauty it can contain. This book was a great next step for this novice, itself a course on the historical Christian poet George Herbert. Highly recommended.

[Tiffany]

Herbert's poetry is 5 stars. I skipped most of the commentary in this book, however, but it would likely be helpful for someone unaccustomed to reading poetry. I did find many of the footnotes explaining unfamiliar/outdated words and phrases to be useful.

[Shawn Aebi]

An exceptional collection of Herbert's works. Well researched and the pieces do need translation from 17th century phrases. This will need a second reading to go deeper but know that the background research helped to explain many a phrase.

[TheeOwen]

Wow, I enjoyed this way more than I thought. The late-middle English is a little dense, but this book had really helpful commentary.

Herbert talks about Christian life (joys, paradoxes and challenges) with poetic ease. Would recommend any poetry nerd to check out at least one or two poems.

[David West]

Herbert was such a gifted poet. His poems drip with God-centered truth. This book was a very helpful guide to some of Herbert's works.

[Elise]

A fabulous compilation of Herbert's poems with helpful notes from Orrick.

[Dylan Bailey]

A superb book! I have the privilege of having Jim Orrick as my great books professor, and i can say that i am a better person because of him and his class. Herbert was a godly man who penned some of the most loved poems in the english language. He is called a metaphysical poet by scholars, but i refer to him as the Christ exalting Poet. By reading his poems one can tell that his Chief aim is to magnify his Lord and savior Jesus Christ and to glorify God with his artistic ability. This book was such a blessing because it was so devotional in nature. One could read the poems along with Dr. Orrick's notes and reflect and meditate for quite some time, having the soul and mind refreshed by the biblical truth in Herbert's poems. Dr. Orrick does a wonderful job of interpreting and explaining the poems so that the modern day reader can understand. If one has a yearning to read and meditate on Christ exalting poetry, then i recommend this book.

[Emma]

Herbert uses imagery very poignantly, and this book offers a glimpse at his thoughts during his short life. Orrick provides thoughtful analysis and defines difficult words. Although his comments sometimes seem unnecessary and interrupting at times, especially towards the end, they usually help with understanding Herbert's words without overwhelming the reader.

[Micah]

Herbert is a great poet from an earlier era. I'm not much of a poet. I'm actually not a poet at all, and thus found the book hard for me.

This book demands slow thoughtful reading but does provide thoughtful reflections for those willing to do the work.

[Nicholas Lewis]

This is a fantastic introduction to appreciating the depth and profundity of Christian Poetry. Herbert’s ornate and detailed word-smithing along with Jim Orrin’s admirable commentary, make this a great companion piece regarding the study of literature and Church History.

[Kristi]

Excellent compilation of Herbert's poems with notes, summaries, and discussion points. Would be an ideal book to go through in a small group setting as well.

[Becky Hintz]

After reading this book, I understand why Herbert has been so beloved by so many for nearly 4 centuries. This is a faithful guide to some of his better-known poems.