Robert Herrick is best known for his love poems to Julia and his one huge crowning achievement, “To The Virgins, To Make Much Of Time”. But he also wrote some religious poems that bear mention as well. Like all of his poems, Herrick’s religious poetry is as tight as any other verse he ever wrote. All of them bear mentioning, but today I’m going to post a short verse titled, “His Prayer For Absolution”.

His Prayer For Absolution

For those my unbaptized rhymes,
Writ in my wild unhallowed times;
For every sentence, clause and word,
That’s not inlaid with Thee (my Lord)
Forgive me God, and blot each line
Out of my book, that is not Thine.
But if, ‘mongst all, thou find’st here one
Worthy thy benediction;
That one of all the rest, shall be
The glory of my work, and me.

Robert Herrick was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1623 when he was 31 years old. His wit is one of the best among the English lyrical poets of his time. His lines can still be enjoyed today.