Annus Mirabilis (poem)

Annus Mirabilis (poem)

At least two significant poems in English literature have shared the title "Annus Mirabilis":

Dryden

Annus Mirabilis is a poem written by John Dryden and published in 1667. It commemorated 1665–1666, the "year of miracles" of London. In fact, the time had been one of great tragedy. Dryden wrote the poem while at Charlton in Wiltshire, where he went to escape one of the great events of the year: the Great Plague of London.

The poem is written in quatrains with an ABAB rhyming pattern; this form is sometimes called the heroic stanza. The first event of the miraculous year was the Battle of Lowestoft fought by English and Dutch ships in 1665. The second is the Four Days Battle of June 1666, and finally the victory of the St. James's Day Battle a month later. The second part of the poem deals with the Great Fire of London that ran from September 2 – September 7 1666. The miracle of the Fire was that London was saved, that the fire was stopped, and that the great king (Charles II) would rebuild (for he already announced his plans to improve the streets of London and to begin great projects). Dryden's view is that these disasters were all averted, that God had saved England from destruction, and that God had performed miracles for England.

The title of Dryden's poem is now sometimes used without capitalization, annus mirabilis, to indicate a year of particularly notable events. When Queen Elizabeth II called the 1992 fire at Windsor Castle part of her "annus horribilis," she was knowingly evoking Dryden's poem.

Larkin

The phrase "Annus Mirabilis" was also used by Philip Larkin in 1967 as the title for one of his best known poems, regarding the onset of more relaxed sexual morals in 1960s Britain: There are 4 verses, the first reads:-

:"Sexual intercourse began":"In nineteen sixty-three":"(Which was rather late for me) -":"Between the end of the Chatterley ban":"And the Beatles' first LP."

External links

* [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11488/11488-8.txt Dryden's "Annus Mirabilis"]
* [http://www.poetryconnection.net/poets/Philip_Larkin/4761 Larkin's "Annus Mirabilis"]

ee also

*List of poems by Philip Larkin
*1666
*Annus mirabilis


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  • Annus mirabilis — is a Latin phrase meaning wonderful year or year of wonders (or year of miracles ). It is used particularly to refer to the years 1665 ndash;1666. The Year of Wonders (1666)According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known written usage …   Wikipedia

  • Annus horribilis — is a Latin phrase meaning horrible year . It alludes to annus mirabilis meaning year of wonders . Queen Elizabeth II Although cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as being in use as early as 1985, Queen Elizabeth II brought the phrase to… …   Wikipedia

  • John Dryden — For other people named John Dryden, see John Dryden (disambiguation). John Dryden Born 9 August 1631(1631 08 09) Aldwincle, Thrapston, Northamptonshire, England …   Wikipedia

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  • Dryden, John — born Aug. 9, 1631, Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire, Eng. died May 1, 1700, London British poet, dramatist, and literary critic. The son of a country gentleman, Dryden was educated at the University of Cambridge. His poetry celebrating the Restoration …   Universalium

  • Dryden, John — (1631 1700)    Poet, dramatist, and satirist, was b. at Aldwincle Rectory, Northamptonshire. His f., from whom he inherited a small estate, was Erasmus, 3rd s. of Sir Erasmus Driden; his mother was Mary Pickering, also of good family; both… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

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