Favorite 17th c. metaphysical poet?

[Pat~]

Anybody else out there a fan of metaphysical poetry? If so, who is your favorite English 17th c. metaphysical poet? (Some options: John Donne, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan, Thomas Traherne, Abraham Cowley, Richard Cranshaw, Andrew Marvell, Thomas Carew, Edward Herbert, Richard Lovelace...) My favorite is probably George Herbert, but it's a personal thing...

[Medievalist]

John Donne, hands down, then Herbert, then it's the Cavaliers/Jonsonians . . .

Crashaw makes me laugh. These are some of my absolute favorites to teach.

[William Haskins]

not a big fan, to be honest. donne was certainly a craftsman, but if i had to choose one, it'd be marvell.

so much of the metaphysical stuff reeks of empty formalism to me.

probably because i'm a heathen, though, so your mileage may vary.

-william

[Medievalist]

not a big fan, to be honest. donne was certainly a craftsman, but if i had to choose one, it'd be marvell.

With Donne, I think it helps to know his sources, so to speak, but it's particularly important to unravel the syntax of his sentences.

Marvell too I'm fond of; I'd hate to pick just one, really.

[skylarburris]

Donne and Herbet are tied for me. Donne is probably the better from a pure artistry standpoint, but there is something about Herbert's poems that speak to me more personally.