Birds of a Feather: George Herbert’s “Easter-wings”

The fame of George Herbert’s “Easter-wings” is due not only to the complex theological meanings developed throughout the poem but also to how its form and shape function poetically: the words of the poem are arranged to create both a rhythmic pattern and the shape of wings. It may very well be the most recognized “shape poem” in English. This visual pattern of the poem affects the meanings inherent in the words and lines. How and why Herbert literally shaped this poem affects our understanding and enjoyment of it, though this how and why may have been misunderstood for centuries due to the way it was first and is usually printed: centered on the page.