The following version of the poem was used to create this guide: Herbert, George. "Easter Wings." Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44361/easter-wings

Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

George Herbert was a Welsh metaphysical poet. He was born in Montgomery, Wales in 1593 and died in 1633. He was one of ten children in a wealthy family, and received a good education from his mother and godfather, poet John Donne, after his father died when he was only three. He studied at Cambridge University and considered a career in politics before ultimately pursuing ordination in the Church of England. He entered the priesthood in 1629. Throughout his life, Herbert wrote poems, prose, and music, mostly with a focus on devotional poetry. Herbert's poems are often focused on the struggles of the average Christian worshipper and the importance of maintaining faith in God despite doubts, fears, or uncertainties.

"Easter Wings" is a poem which reflects on the nature of Christ's sacrifice and the beauty of redemption. It is a shaped poem, meaning the words of the poem are intentionally arranged on the page to form an image related to the poem's subject matter. In this case, the words of the poem form the shape of two wings, and the speaker's language reflects the expanding and contracting of the wing shape throughout the poem.