emlickliter's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
The Complete Poems by Andrew Marvell - You may be surprised to know that you recognize some of these. Happy Reading!
franfernandezarce's review against another edition
3.0
from the three metaphysical poets i've read so far ([a:John Donne|77318|John Donne|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1220618065p2/77318.jpg], [a:George Herbert|49928|George Herbert|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1250052486p2/49928.jpg] and [a:Andrew Marvell|158432|Andrew Marvell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1346602053p2/158432.jpg]), this has been my--not quite favourite but most preferred. does it have to do with the amount (in this case lack) of religious/secular poetry? most likely.
here's my favourite poem:
here's my favourite poem:
music's empire
First was the world as one great cymbal made,
Where jarring winds to infant Nature played.
All music was a solitary sound,
To hollow rocks and murm'ring fountains bound.
Jubal first made the wilder notes agree;
And Jubal tuned music's Jubilee;
He call'd the echoes from their sullen cell,
And built the organ's city where they dwell.
Each sought a consort in that lovely place,
And virgin trebles wed the manly bass.
From whence the progeny of numbers new
Into harmonious colonies withdrew.
Some to the lute, some to the viol went,
And others chose the cornet eloquent,
These practicing the wind, and those the wire,
To sing men's triumphs, or in Heaven's choir.
Then music, the mosaic of the air,
Did of all these a solemn noise prepare;
With which she gain'd the empire of the ear,
Including all between the earth and sphere.
Victorious sounds! yet here your homage do
Unto a gentler conqueror than you;
Who though he flies the music of his praise,
Would with you Heaven's Hallelujahs raise.
bartlebybleaney's review against another edition
3.0
The non-stop rhymed couplets were a bit clangy and distracting, especially after spending so long reading Blake's long, unrhymed lines. At least English prosody hadn't reached the dullness, in Marvell's day, that was the age of Pope and Dryden. The pseudo-pastoral stuff wasn't all that interesting, but Marvell is good in his descriptions of nature. I was surprised to find the best of his poems to be a long piece about his friend's house in the country. I almost didn't even read that poem since it was mis-categorized by the editor with the political satires, which dreary things I barely gave a few minutes of attention before closing the book.
Marvell isn't the kind of poet one revisits, but it's good finally to have read more than "To His Coy Mistress."
Marvell isn't the kind of poet one revisits, but it's good finally to have read more than "To His Coy Mistress."
pixieauthoress's review against another edition
4.0
Read the following poems for EN4341 Renaissance Sexualities: Rhetoric and the Body 1580-1660:
* The Nymph complaining for the Death of her Faun
* Young Love
* To his Coy Mistress
* The Unfortunate Lover
* The Picture of Little TC in a Prospect of Flowers
* Damon the Mower
* Upon a Eunuch: a Poet
I enjoyed most of these poems, although I didn't really "get" Damon the Mower. Will have to wait until Tuesday's lecture to see if that sheds any more light on it. 4*
* The Nymph complaining for the Death of her Faun
* Young Love
* To his Coy Mistress
* The Unfortunate Lover
* The Picture of Little TC in a Prospect of Flowers
* Damon the Mower
* Upon a Eunuch: a Poet
I enjoyed most of these poems, although I didn't really "get" Damon the Mower. Will have to wait until Tuesday's lecture to see if that sheds any more light on it. 4*
dan13dean's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
poppysmic's review
2.0
I would not have picked Marvell up, were it not for the fact it features heavily on my university reading list next term. Admittedly, I never much like this era for poetry. I find rhyming couplets distracting and convoluted, doubly so when they're constant, and the pastoral-type poems were to me relentlessly tedious. My interest picked up with the political satire, though, warranting an extra star.
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