George Herbert (
April 3,
1593 -
March 1,
1633) was an
English poet and
orator. Despite living for only 40 years his stock as a poet has risen and risen. Remarkably none of his work was published in his lifetime. The
poems of his final years, written as a clergyman in
Bemerton[?],
Salisbury, are like nothing else in
literature. They combine a profound spirituality with a restless experimentation. Their language remains fresh and inspiring today.