BBC Radio 4 Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Metaphysical poets

Worth a listen!
Click on the site below and listen to views about John Donne's, The Flea.  Andrew Marvel's "To his Coy Mistress". There are also bits on Andrew Marvel and how they rethink Love Poetry.
You'll also find links to some useful sites to help with context.

BBC Radio Melvyn Bragg on The Metaphysicals

Lord Byron's "Beppo"

Beppo

20 Love Poems ans a Song of Despair Pablo Neruda

20 Love Poems and a Song of Despair - Pablo Neruda

Shakespeare's Sonnets

The Sonnets - William Shake Spears

Metaphysical Poetry and John Donne

Metaphysical Poetry

To His Coy Mistress - Andrew Marvell

Check out this SlideShare Presentation, but the slides from 32 to the end about the parodies of the poem are very odd. The first part of the presentation is excellent.:

To His Coy Mistress - Andrew Marvell

View more presentations from Andre Oosthuysen.

What is a metaphysical poem?

Metaphysical poetry is concerned with the whole experience of man, but the intelligence, learning and seriousness of the poets means that the poetry is about the profound areas of experience especially - about love, romantic and sensual; about man's relationship with God - the eternal perspective, and, to a less extent, about pleasure, learning and art.

Metaphysical poems are lyric poems. They are brief but intense meditations, characterized by striking use of wit, irony and wordplay. Beneath the formal structure (of rhyme, metre and stanza) is the underlying (and often hardly less formal) structure of the poem's argument. Note that there may be two (or more) kinds of argument in a poem. In To His Coy Mistress the explicit argument (Marvell's request that the coy lady yield to his passion) is a stalking horse for the more serious argument about the transitory nature of pleasure. The outward levity conceals (barely) a deep seriousness of intent. You would be able to show how this theme of carpe diem (“seize the day”) is made clear in the third section of the poem.

To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell 1621 - 1678

Marvell - Metaphysical poet attempts to persuade his 'mistress' to seize the day or perhaps he is more concerned with the fleeting nature of life and beauty.

Sonnet 18 William Shakespeare

I don't know if you've heard of Pink Floyd? This is David Gilmore's version of Shakespeare's sonnet. I thought it was lovely...

A Modern Translation of "The Miller's Tale"

Translation 2 of the Miller's Tale

Some work to do while I'm off to a meeting...

Good morning guys!
Sorry I have to go to an SCL all day meeting. Would MUCH rather be with you!
Anyways... Here is some work for you to do while I'm away.
I'd like you to translate this section below of "The Miller's Tale" into modern English. "Crafty Nick devises his trick!"
Use your notes and glossary to translate the section and write down a short summary of Nasty Nick's plan.
I've included the section here in case any of you have forgotten your books.

Those of you who were absent last week should check out the research task listed here. Also you should all visit 'Slideshare' to upload your powerpoint presentations to your blog so that I can check your work. Click on the link to 'Slideshare' in the links section of this page. Can't see too much evidence of your research and work so far. I'm sure you are doing it, but not really using the blogs properly yet. You can always post comments to my blog if you need help?

Also make sure you have the notes on Absolon (Absolute ass) - our courtly lover fop!
I will be in all three lessons next week. I really hope you will be there as well. These trips out/ rehearsals etc are driving me in sane.

Nicholas' Plan

Love Poetry Through the Ages

Here are a few poems for you to research and add comments to your own Blogs. Happy Reading!
A Love Through the Ages Reading List