Prayer has long been a topic for poets, as the following ten classic poems about praying and prayer nicely demonstrate. Ranging over five centuries, these prayer-poems show some of the greatest poets in English getting to grips with prayer as a way of communicating with God, but also with each other as we try to find the meaning and value of prayer, especially in times of hardship and war, or at momentous and significant times in our lives (such as the birth of a son or daughter).
Prayer
A Short Analysis of George Herbert’s ‘Prayer (I)’
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Prayer (I)’ is one of George Herbert’s best-loved poems. Herbert (1593-1633), who sent his poems to a friend Nicholas Ferrar with the instruction that his friend should publish them or destroy them, depending on whether he thought they were any good, is now revered as one of the greatest poets of the Early Modern period. ‘Prayer (I)’ is a relatively straightforward poem, but its language and references require some analysis and unpicking.