John Bunyan's Poetry [Illustrated]: Divine Emblems

by John Bunyan

49 Original Copperplate Engravings Included in this Special Edition Few Christians have impacted the church as has John Bunyan. If you enjoyed Pilgrim's Progress, The Holy War, or any of his various evergreen writings, do also allow yourself the reward of soaking in John Bunyan's classic, Christian poetry. You will be delighted as a child, challenged if a sinner, and rewarded richly as a fellow believer.

Genres: Poetry, Christian, Fiction, Christianity, Classics, Art

104 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2013

About the author

John Bunyan, a Christian writer and preacher, was born at Harrowden (one mile south-east of Bedford), in the Parish of Elstow, England. He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, arguably the most famous published Christian allegory. In the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August.

Reviews

[Dave Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational

the language may seem like the 1700 well that's because it was but some of the poetry is just so beautiful

My favourite was the Life of Christ, but there were some others I thought exceptional as well hence the 5 stars. I confess some went over my head wether lost in time or the language being more Shakespeare like then I get. His Spirit was definitely not Shakespearean I much add for clarity I guess Pilgrims Progress will always be his most famous work but this deserves more applause then it gets and is definitely a classic in its items right.

A man with a heart for God and he desperately wanted others to know Christ as well and still today his words are touching hearts.

[Aron De Kraker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beetje een tegenvaller. Had meer van Bunyan verwacht.

Er zitten enkele mooie gedichtjes bij, maar veel zijn weinig sprankelend, en vaak meer moralistisch dan geestelijk.

Ook zijn veel beelden sterk verouderd waardoor ze niet meer tot de verbeelding spreken.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Note: This book has been given free of charge by Aneko Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

As the third book written by John Bunyan that I have received free of charge from this publisher [1], the second of which I had never heard of, it is clear that we have a positive trend when it comes to remembering the works of this seventeenth century independent pastor who spent more than a decade in jail for preaching without a government license. So far at least, the more I am becoming familiar with the forgotten and obscure books of John Bunyan, the more I appreciate them. This particular book was written for children, and it is worthwhile not only as a short book of poems in its own right written for reasons of instructing faith and cautioning youth against folly, but also for the way that the book is a reminder of a time when more was expected of children with regards to being sensitive to biblical allusions as well as an understanding of creation and agriculture than is often the case at present. This volume is especially to be praised for its sharp sense of humor, and this is a book that will please adults who enjoy spiritual poetry [2].

This short volume of about 100 pages is composed mostly of 49 poems by Bunyan and then some material including the original note to the editors and a short publishing history of the book. This book comes as a surprise in several ways, part of it because it shows that there was a fairly wide appreciation of the way that God's creation can be used in moral instruction. In many places this book reads like the Book of Proverbs, which was aimed at a similar audience and has similarly moving poetry and moral reflections drawn from village life. What was also a surprise and a revelation was the extent to which some of these poems packed considerable punch. Bunyan makes use of the way that spiders were then thought to be particularly venomous by having a talking spider rebuke a sinner who wishes to squash the spider he views as being a moral irritant though not aggressive to him in the book's longest poem. Some of the verses included hit hard even today, such as this one about clothing (31):

"God gave us clothes to hide our nakedness,
And we by them do it expose to view.
Our pride and unclean minds to an excess,
By our apparel, we to others show."

Likewise, Bunyan's comments about a simple penny loaf are full of much deeper importance about the threat of starvation (75):

"Thy price one penny is in time of plenty,
In famine doubled, 'tis from one to twenty.
Yea, no man knows what price on thee to set
When there is but one penny loaf to get."

As long as there are children and adults who are interested in reading meditations taken from a time when people were in greater communion and contact with God's creation, this book of poems will draw appreciation, as Bunyan was an excellent poet with a fine sense of wit and considerable skill at constructing rhyme and meter. Rural contemporary audiences in particular will find this book to be immensely pleasing as an aid to personal devotions as well as for purposes of homeschooling, as it offers a chance for young readers who like to think on ants and spiders and snails and horses and riders and who by such fondness can become familiar with some very pleasing poetry from almost 350 years ago that still reads well even now, and likely will as long as there are audiences who can draw moral truths from God's creation and who can appreciate the way that the author draws his own insights from the words of the Bible. This is the sort of book that will likely help a reader to wonder how many more forgotten classics were written by the man who, if he is remembered today at all, is only as the writer of Pilgrim's Progress, and not as a writer of considerable skill and somewhat alarming productivity.
[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

http://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/...

[2] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Goodreads 2018 Summer Reading Challenge, Expert Level.
Poet at Heart: Read a book of poetry

We're coming up to the end of the challenge, and that means it's time for me to get through all the categories I was putting off. Poetry is one thing I just don't enjoy. Not saying it's bad, just that it's not my thing. So, yeah. I liked this well enough for poetry, but, well, it's still POETRY. Blech!

It's amazing, really. Where I might just see a box of candles fall to the ground, he sees the Christian walk. The eyes of a poet and the words to match. No, it's not all brilliant poetry, and maybe the rhymes seem a bit forced, but there's so much insight and depth of meaning here that it is worth the read for any Christian looking to see their faith, and their walk, more clearly.

As an aside, however, the editor really needed to stop with the footnotes. They added nothing, for the most part, and I found them distracting.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book. Perfect poetry for kids. Yes, it’s Middle English. But it’s still ENGLISH. For those who believe this makes it too hard for modern English speakers to read…what does that say of your grasp of the English language? Modern English is less than half as articulate as Middle English. If you can’t understand the term, then it means you never had to understand the concept that term represents. Maybe instead of fighting to STAY on a level where you know and can communicate half of what your ancestors did…practice and extend yourself to learn more? The puritans wrote hundreds of phenomenal books which can only be useful and enjoyed by those who are willing to learn beyond modern public education.

[Djlyndgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thoughts. Difficult reading style.

Wonderful spiritual insights. Good thoughts on our actions and choices. Reminders of God's vast live and grace to sinners, but we must choose to walk out our faith in Him. Hard to focus on what's being said in old English.

[Kevin Stilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable. I like his use of imagery.

[Stefan-Rares Crisan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The frog by nature is both damp and cold,
Her mouth is large, her belly much will hold;
She sits somewhat ascending, loves to be
Croaking in gardens, though unpleasantly."

This is the kind of poetry I truly enjoy! Aimed at the simple-minded like myself, who enjoy observing the simpler elements of life while searching for what precious wise insights they might furnish the keen observer with!

[Child960801 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a selection of poems by John Bunyan. It feels a little bit like he was just looking around, picking something he saw, and then writing a poem about how it represented something in the Christian life. Such as, the sunset, the sunrise, a spider in a web, a child and a bird in a bush, a piece of paper, and so forth.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. Some poems provide insightful impulses that encourage one to think and reflect. Some poems feel like they "try too hard" to find a matching allegory pair. To my fellow catholics: take this book with a grain of salt! You may want to research the author first before you decide to read this one.

[Joan F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bunyan, a Poet?

I had no idea that Bunyan had written poetry until I found this book. Most of the poems are short, so they are easy reading, but the English is old, so that requires attention in order to appreciate his verse.

[Barb Hegreberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

God is Everywhere

If we pay attention the world around us is ALWAYS pointing to Jesus. The good and wonderful things are His gifts to us, whereas the dark and evil things should spur us to prayer and repentance.

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first attempt to read (old) English literature. (English is my second language).
Bunyan's easy rhymes and meaningful thoughts helped to follow through the text and made this book enjoyable.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book of thought-provoking spiritual poems. A preacher may find a few illustrations here as well.

[Tom Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple Truth

Simple gospel truths set to verse. Causes one to think about their salvation through self examination as they recognize traits from the verses in themselves.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic poetry from a classic author.
I enjoy reading this, even though maybe i'm not familiar with poetry on that age. Some poetry was very deep, ask us to meditate upon it.

[Philip S. Redmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough read

As poetry it seems good, but it requires your complete attention or you will become lost in reading it. If you love poetry, then you will probably enjoy it.

[DiVa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting dip into 17th century poetry and the work of a classic, John Bunyan, the author of The Pilgrim's Progress.