Thursday, October 21, 2010

Saint Robert Southwell


British Jesuit and poet Saint Robert Southwell lived from 1561 to 1595, when he was executed during the English Reformation. He was one of many priests who secretly ministered to the Catholics in England during this time and, like many of the others, was arrested, accused of treason, imprisoned and eventually executed. Despite his young age and the circumstances under which he lived, he did manage to publish a couple of volumes of poetry during his lifetime.

The pop singer Sting does a very interesting interpretation of Southwell’s poem, "The Burning Babe."