David Herbert Lawrence, an English novelist and poet ranked among the most influential and controversial literary figures of the twentieth century. Lawrence was born on September 11th, 1885, in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. He abandoned traditional poetic form and advocated the use of free verse.
The two poems being discussed, "Bavarian Gentians" and "Ship of Death" were both written near the time of Lawrence's death. He had been suffering from tuberculosis. He is well aware that he is going to die soon, and emphasizes the transition of time. However, the tone is different in both poems. "Bav…