Country house poem
Encyclopedia
A country house poem is a poem in which the author compliments a wealthy patron or a friend through a description of his country house. Such poems were popular in early 17th century England. The genre may be regarded as a sub-set of the topographical poem.
The model for the country house poem is Ben Jonson
's To Penshurst, published 1616, which compliments Robert Sidney
, younger brother of Sir Philip Sidney on his Penshurst Place
. The poem is full of allusions, to Epiphanius
, Martial
, and Horace
, among others, and begins with the following lines alluding to Horace's Ode
2:18:
"Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show
Of touch or marble, nor canst boast a row
Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold;
Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told,
Or stair, or courts; but stand’st an ancient pile,
And these grudged at, art reverenced the while."
This poem was imitated in subsequent country house poems. However, Aemilia Lanyer's Description of Cookham was in fact published earlier, in 1611, as a dedicatory verse at the end of her long narrative poem Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. In the Description of Cookham, Lanyer pays tribute to her patroness Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland
through a description of her residence as a paradise for literary women. Cookham did not actually belong to Margaret Clifford, but was rented for her by her brother while Clifford was undergoing a dispute with her husband
.
Other well-known instances of the genre include Andrew Marvell
's Upon Appleton House
, which describes Thomas, Lord Fairfax
's country house, where Marvell was a tutor between November 1650 and the end of 1652. The poem centres on Lord Fairfax's daughter Maria.
Thomas Carew
also wrote two country house poems in the mould of To Penshurst: To Saxham and To My Friend G. N., from Wrest.
Even closer to the Jonsonian paradigm is a poem by the oldest of the so-called "Sons of Ben
", Robert Herrick
, A Panegyric to Sir Lewis Pemberton.
The model for the country house poem is Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's To Penshurst, published 1616, which compliments Robert Sidney
Robert Sidney
Robert Sidney may refer to:*Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester , English nobleman and statesman*Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester , son of the above*Robert Sidney, 4th Earl of Leicester -See also:...
, younger brother of Sir Philip Sidney on his Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place is a historic building near Tonbridge, Kent, south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poet, courtier and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney. The original medieval house is one of the most complete examples...
. The poem is full of allusions, to Epiphanius
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
, Martial
Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan...
, and Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, among others, and begins with the following lines alluding to Horace's Ode
Ode
Ode is a type of lyrical verse. A classic ode is structured in three major parts: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode. Different forms such as the homostrophic ode and the irregular ode also exist...
2:18:
"Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show
Of touch or marble, nor canst boast a row
Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold;
Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told,
Or stair, or courts; but stand’st an ancient pile,
And these grudged at, art reverenced the while."
This poem was imitated in subsequent country house poems. However, Aemilia Lanyer's Description of Cookham was in fact published earlier, in 1611, as a dedicatory verse at the end of her long narrative poem Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. In the Description of Cookham, Lanyer pays tribute to her patroness Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland
Margaret Clifford, Countess of Cumberland
Margaret Clifford , Countess of Cumberland was an English noblewoman and maid of honor to Elizabeth I. Lady Margaret was born in Exeter, England to Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and Margaret St. John...
through a description of her residence as a paradise for literary women. Cookham did not actually belong to Margaret Clifford, but was rented for her by her brother while Clifford was undergoing a dispute with her husband
George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland
Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, KG was an English peer, as well as a naval commander and courtier in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.-Background:...
.
Other well-known instances of the genre include Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
's Upon Appleton House
Upon Appleton House
Upon Appleton House is a poem written by Andrew Marvell for Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron. It was written in 1651, when Marvell was working as a tutor for Fairfax's daughter, Mary...
, which describes Thomas, Lord Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...
's country house, where Marvell was a tutor between November 1650 and the end of 1652. The poem centres on Lord Fairfax's daughter Maria.
Thomas Carew
Thomas Carew
Thomas Carew was an English poet, among the 'Cavalier' group of Caroline poets.-Biography:He was the son of Sir Matthew Carew, master in chancery, and his wife, Alice daughter of Sir John Rivers, Lord Mayor of the City of London and widow of Ingpen...
also wrote two country house poems in the mould of To Penshurst: To Saxham and To My Friend G. N., from Wrest.
Even closer to the Jonsonian paradigm is a poem by the oldest of the so-called "Sons of Ben
Sons of Ben
The phrase Sons of Ben is a mildly problematic term applied to followers of Ben Jonson in English poetry and drama in the first half of the seventeenth century....
", Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick (poet)
Robert Herrick was a 17th-century English poet.-Early life:Born in Cheapside, London, he was the seventh child and fourth son of Julia Stone and Nicholas Herrick, a prosperous goldsmith....
, A Panegyric to Sir Lewis Pemberton.
External links
- Lanier's "Description of Cookham"
- http://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/11-2/couwebco.htm Cousins and Webb: Appropriating and Attributing the Supernatural in the Early Modern Country House Poem]