Henry King Poetry

Henry King (1592–1669) was an English poet and Bishop of Chichester, known for his elegies, including a renowned one for his wife. A close friend of John Donne and influenced by Ben Jonson, King’s works reflect a deep Anglican faith and personal introspection. His bishopric tenure faced challenges during the interregnum.

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The Exequy

‘The Exequy’ by Henry King is a fairly long poem that is focused on the experience of grief. The poet explores the loss of his wife and his belief that the two will reunite in the afterlife.

This is a fantastic and very well-loved example of Henry King's poetry. The poem is quite emotional, highly relevant to the poet's life, and generally considered to be one of his best poems. Readers who aren't familiar with this poet should certainly pick up this poem as their first example of his work.

Accept, thou shrine of my dead saint,

Instead of dirges, this complaint;

And for sweet flow'rs to crown thy hearse,

From thy griev'd friend, whom thou might'st see

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