‘And when the light of life is flying’ (1825)

Listen to Professor Keith Hanley read Davy’s poem ‘And when the light of life is flying’ (1825). This is a much later poem than some of the others you have looked at:

• Does it seem to have been written later in life than, say, ‘Sons of Genius’?

• Are there any threads that you can perceive in more than one of these poems? Such as Davy’s use of the Romantic sublime?

The image used in this film is Henry Howard, portrait of Humphry Davy (1803), NPG 4591, © National Portrait Gallery, London, licenced under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0.