The following version of the poem was used to create this guide: Carew, Thomas. "A Rapture." Luminarium. http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/carew/rapture.htm.

Note that all parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the lines of the poem from which the quotations are taken.

Thomas Carew was born to noble, wealthy parents: a knight and the daughter of London's mayor, probably sometime in 1595. He studied in Oxford, where he seems to have been an indifferent student, and then at Cambridge. He began pursuing a degree in law, but did not complete it. For financial reasons, he took on work as a private secretary around 1613. He was dismissed by his employer and had a period of struggle finding work before eventually receiving a position and significant favor at court. He had a contentious relationship with his father, who seems to have seen Carew as a layabout, particularly during a bout of what was likely syphilis which Carew acquired abroad. At court, Carew was well-liked, making wealthy and powerful friends who supported him in becoming a court poet. Details regarding the end of Carew's life are unknown, though he may have succumbed to syphilis.

He was part of the school of Cavalier Poets, supporters of Charles I who created artwork that celebrated joy and the sensory pleasures of life. This poem is part of that tradition, focusing on the pleasures of sexual congress. It was scandalous from the time of its first publication, even censured by name in Parliament. However, it was also widely enjoyed and earned Carew many fans in the court.