A Selection from the Lyrical Poems of Robert Herrick

Robert Herrick wrote poetry that tastes of summer stone fruits and sounds like laughter across a meadow. This curated collection captures the 17th-century Cavalier poet at his most irresistible: verses about cherry-ripe maidens, wedding garlands, the fleeting sweetness of youth, and the desperate urgency to seize beauty before it fades. Herrick was a clergyman who wrote with the verve of a courtier, celebrating the body's pleasures and nature's vibrancy with a sensuality that feels almost dangerous. These are poems to read aloud, to copy into letters, to whisper to someone you want to kiss. Francis Turner Palgrave's 1892 selection gathers the finest of Herrick's lyrical output, arranging them like a bouquet meant to be held close and breathed in. The collection moves through seasons and emotions, from mischievous flirtation to quiet awe at the passing of time, but always returns to one refrain: this moment, this beauty, this love are here now. Do not let them go.