Mimnermus in Church

Mimnermus in Church is a poem written by William Johnson Cory.

Background

William Johnson was an Eton College master and author of the lyrics to the "Eton Boating Song". He left Eton under suspicion of improper relations with students and added "Cory" to his name. He published a volume of homoerotic verse called Ionica. Mimnermus in Church contrasts the warm delights of actual life with the cold joys of a merely promised heaven.
Richard Ollard wrote that the poem "expresses view of life better than anyone else can."

Song setting

This poem was set to music by the English songwriter and composer William D. Drake and performed by his psychedelic acoustic band, Lake Of Puppies. The setting was later given a fuller orchestration by Lake of Puppies member Craig Fortnam and was taken into the repertoire of the chamber ensemble North Sea Radio Orchestra. Writing in The Guardian, John L. Water described the arrangement as "ha a languorous, grandiose quality reminiscent of The Blue Nile."
A recording of the North Sea Radio Orchestra version of the song is on the ensemble's first album, North Sea Radio Orchestra, released in 2006.