A poet wrote, "A dart thrice dipt in that rich flame, Which writes thy spouse's radiant name." Who was the poet, and what work of art is thought to have helped inspire these lines?

gmackematix

Well the poem was the unpromisingly titled "Hymn to the Name and Honour of the Admirable St Theresa" by Richard Crashaw, a 17th C poet, engraver and musician. I've no idea about finding the answer to the tricky part of the question. Apr 17 05, 5:49 PM

lanfranco

You get a half-yay, Gmack. Think, "Saint Teresa." And also the language in which peasy and I have exchanged remarks. Apr 17 05, 5:54 PM

peasypod

Bernini's sculpture 'Ecstasy of St Theresa' comes to mind... Apr 17 05, 6:16 PM

lanfranco

Congratulations, peasy, you share this yay with Gmack. Richard Crashaw (1612?-1649) was a metaphysical poet and Catholic convert who ended up in Italy in the 1640's and who was deeply attracted by mystics -- including Teresa of Avila. The theory is that he was able to see Gian Lorenzo Bernini's preliminary work on what became "The Ecstasy of St. Teresa" (completed ca. 1652)in Rome's Santa Maria della Vittoria. Robert Peterson's book "The Art of Ecstasy: Teresa, Bernini, and Crashaw" (New York, 1970) is worth a look. Oh, and by the way, Gmack: these days, we just call it, "Hymn to St. Teresa." Avoids all that really awkward and embarrassing emotional verbiage and baggage. Apr 17 05, 6:51 PM