SOURCE: Lindley, David. “The Poetry.” In Thomas Campion, pp. 1-61. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1986.

In the essay that follows, Lindley examines Campion's poetry in English, focusing on his love poetry.

‘The Apothecaries have Bookes of Gold, whose leaves being opened are so light as that they are subject to be shaken with the least breath, yet, rightly handled, they serve both for ornament and use; such are light Ayres.’

(p. 168)

Campion's prefatory remarks to The Fourth Booke of Ayres make an apt initiation of the discussion of his poetry. Apt in that they present quite clearly the crucial problems for any critic or reader who tries to articulate his delight in these lyrics.

The first difficulty arises from the avowed ‘lightness’ of Campion's poems. For many years established literary criticism held ambiguity, density and complexity to be necessary qualities for elevation to the literary pantheon, requiring at the...