Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Distracted Puritan" is a poem by Richard Corbet, an English poet and bishop who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries. The poem is a humorous satire that pokes fun at the extreme piety and hypocrisy of the Puritans.

The poem is written in iambic pentameter and follows a regular ABAB rhyme scheme. It consists of four stanzas, each with four lines.

In the first stanza, the speaker introduces a Puritan who is so consumed with religious zeal that he has lost touch with the world around him. He is so focused on his own righteousness that he neglects his family and his business.

The second stanza describes the Puritan's behavior in church. He is so vocal and disruptive that he distracts the other worshippers and prevents them from hearing the sermon.

In the third stanza, the speaker imagines what the Puritan's prayers might be like. He envisions the Puritan pleading with God to forgive his sins, but then immediately bragging about his own piety and devotion.

In the final stanza, the speaker concludes that the Puritan's extreme piety is actually a form of madness. He suggests that the Puritan needs to learn to balance his religious devotion with a more practical and worldly approach to life.

Overall, "Distracted Puritan" is a satirical poem that critiques the excessive piety and hypocrisy of the Puritans, who were a powerful religious and political movement in England during the 16th and 17th centuries