Henry Vaughan (1621-1695) was a metaphysical poet. He was a Welshman, born beside the River Usk in the beautiful Brecon Beacons. Throughout the period of the Civil War, traumatic both for himself and those he loved, Vaughan wrote moving poems which record extreme spiritual experience balanced by intense delight in the natural world.

This is the fifth volume of a series of introductory books on seventeenth century spiritual writing. Poetry from all of Vaughan’s five collections have been included in this anthology, which Anne Cluysenaar introduces with a scholarly but accessible introduction to Vaughan’s life. She provides a valuable initiation into the work of this brilliant seventeenth century poet.