Man and rest
I came across another poem which reminded me of Vaughan's Man called The Pulley by George Herbert. It plays on the idea of man's duty to remain in motion and I thought it might be an interesting comparison.
The Pulley
WHEN God at first made Man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by—
Let us (said He) pour on him all we can;
Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way,
Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone of all His treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on My creature,
He would adore My gifts instead of Me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness;
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to My breast.
- George Herbert
Enjoy.
Kate P.
The Pulley
WHEN God at first made Man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by—
Let us (said He) pour on him all we can;
Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.
So strength first made a way,
Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone of all His treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.
For if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on My creature,
He would adore My gifts instead of Me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
So both should losers be.
Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness;
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to My breast.
- George Herbert
Enjoy.
Kate P.
posted by L Lazarow | 12:13 PM
2 Comments:
I think this directs to Man as well due to the use of comparison with nature in the poem.
I find the words "pour on him" not to be a negative connotation, but a fairly positive one. To pour blessings, as the poem says, on someone is a very positive notion, elevating them higher.
The idea of a pulley making work easier is perhaps used in the sense that due to God's decision to keep rest from man, and by making him live a fulfilling life, that it will be easier to get back to being with God in heaven instead of having to do a lot of work then. So the thing that is being "made easier" is the return to God. Just a thought...
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
might be kind of a stretch.. but i thought that Robert Frost's poem Nothing Gold Can Stay is similar to a few of the poems we have just gone over. even though it doesn't speak of wasting time with the opposite sex, i think it still represents the idea of living life to its fullest, nothing lasts forever, carpe diem, etc...
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