The following version of the poem was used to create this guide: Herbert, George. "Jordan (I)." Representative Poetry Online. https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/jordan-i

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem from which the quotations are 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.

Jordan (I) is the first of Herbert's poems that takes the Near Eastern river Jordan as its title. In the poem, Herbert reflects on the relationship between poetry and worship. He concludes that simple language best suits the worship of God.