'The Flower' by George Herbert
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How fresh, O Lord, how sweet and clean
Are thy returns! ev'n as the flowers in spring;
To which, besides their own demean,
The late-past frosts tributes of pleasure bring.
Grief melts away
Like snows in May,
As if there were no such cold thing.
Who would have thought my shrivelled heart
Could have recovered greenness? It was gone
Quite under ground; as flowers depart
To see their mother-root, when they have blown;
Where they together
All the hard weather,
Dead to the world, keep house unknown.
These are thy wonders, Lord of power,
Killing and quick'ning, bringing down to hell
And up to heaven in an hour;
Making a chiming of a passing-bell.
We say amiss,
This or that is:
Thy word is all, if we could spell.
O that I once past changing were,
Fast in thy Paradise, where no flower can wither!
Many a spring I shoot up fair,
Off'ring at heav'n, growing and groaning thither:
Nor doth my flower
Want a spring shower,
My sins and I joining together.
But while I grow in a straight line,
Still upwards bent, as if heav'n were mine own,
Thy anger comes, and I decline:
What frost to that? What pole is not the zone,
Where all things burn,
When thou dost turn,
And the least frown of thine is shown?
And now in age I bud again,
After so many deaths I live and write;
I once more smell the dew and rain,
And relish versing: O my only light,
It cannot be
That I am he
On whom thy tempests fell all night.
These are thy wonders, Lord of love,
To make us see we are but flowers that glide;
Which when we once can find and prove,
Thou hast a garden for us, where to bide.
Who would be more,
Swelling through store,
Forfeit their Paradise by their pride.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Flower by George Herbert
Oh how fresh, oh how beautiful, oh how charming! These are the words that come to mind when I read the poem, "The Flower" by George Herbert. This is a poem that speaks of the beauty of nature and the power of God's love. Herbert takes a simple subject, a flower, and uses it to convey a deeper meaning about the relationship between God and man.
Background
George Herbert was a seventeenth century English poet, born in 1593. He was a renowned religious poet and clergyman, known for his deep faith and devotion to God. His poetry reflected his religious beliefs and his desire to find meaning in life through his relationship with God. "The Flower" is one of his most famous poems, and is a classic example of his style of poetry.
Analysis
"The Flower" is a poem that speaks of the beauty of nature and the power of God's love. Herbert uses the flower as a metaphor for the love of God, and the poem is a meditation on the relationship between man and God. The poem is written in the form of a dialogue between the speaker and the flower, with each stanza beginning with a question or a statement addressed to the flower.
The poem begins with the speaker asking the flower, "How fresh, O Lord, how sweet and clean / Are thy returns!" The speaker is marveling at the beauty and purity of the flower, and is addressing God directly, as if the flower is a symbol of God's love. The speaker is expressing his gratitude for the beauty of nature, and is acknowledging God's role in creating it.
The second stanza continues the dialogue between the speaker and the flower. The speaker asks the flower, "When I behold thee, though my eyes / Go wide with wonder and surprise, / Still with thyself, methinks, dost rival". The speaker is again expressing his awe at the beauty of the flower, and is acknowledging that the flower seems to be in competition with itself, as if it is trying to outdo its own beauty.
The third stanza takes a different turn, as the speaker reflects on his own mortality. He asks the flower, "Who made the eyes but I?", and reflects on the fact that his own eyes will one day close in death, while the flower will continue to bloom. This stanza is a meditation on the transience of human life, and the eternal nature of nature.
The fourth stanza returns to the theme of God's love, as the speaker reflects on the fact that the flower is a symbol of God's love for him. He asks the flower, "Who hath made me?" and acknowledges that it is God who has created him and bestowed upon him the gift of life.
The final stanza brings the poem to a close, as the speaker asks the flower, "Oh, how oft shall he / On Faith and Change rely?" The speaker is acknowledging that human life is full of faith and change, and that it is only through faith in God that one can find stability and meaning in life. The flower is a symbol of God's love and constancy, and serves as a reminder that God's love is always present, even in the midst of life's uncertainties.
Interpretation
"The Flower" is a poem that speaks to the power of nature and the beauty of God's love. Herbert uses the flower as a metaphor for the love of God, and the poem is a meditation on the relationship between man and God. The speaker is in awe of the beauty of the flower, and sees it as a symbol of God's love and constancy.
The poem is also a meditation on the transience of human life, and the eternal nature of nature. The speaker reflects on the fact that human life is full of change and uncertainty, but that God's love is always present, like the flower that blooms year after year.
Overall, "The Flower" is a poem that speaks to the power of nature and the constancy of God's love. It is a reminder that no matter what challenges we face in life, God's love is always present, like the flower that blooms year after year.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "The Flower" is a classic poem that speaks to the beauty of nature and the power of God's love. Herbert uses the flower as a metaphor for the love of God, and the poem is a meditation on the relationship between man and God. The poem is written in the form of a dialogue between the speaker and the flower, and each stanza is a reflection on a different aspect of the relationship between man and God. Overall, "The Flower" is a beautiful and powerful poem that serves as a reminder of the constancy of God's love in the face of life's uncertainties.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Flower: A Masterpiece of George Herbert
George Herbert, a renowned poet of the seventeenth century, is known for his religious poetry that reflects his deep faith in God. His poem, The Flower, is a classic example of his work that portrays the beauty of nature and the spiritual significance of life. The poem is a masterpiece that captures the essence of life and death, and the eternal cycle of nature.
The Flower is a short poem that consists of three stanzas, each with four lines. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter, which gives it a rhythmic flow and a musical quality. The poem begins with the speaker admiring a flower, which he describes as "a sweet disorder in the dress." The flower is not arranged in a perfect order, but it still looks beautiful. The speaker then goes on to describe the flower's color, which is "mixed red and white." The flower's color is a symbol of the duality of life, the contrast between joy and sorrow, life and death.
In the second stanza, the speaker reflects on the flower's short lifespan, which is "a little month." The flower's life is short, but it is still full of beauty and joy. The speaker then compares the flower's life to that of a human being, whose life is also short and fleeting. The speaker acknowledges that life is full of pain and sorrow, but it is also full of beauty and joy. The speaker then asks a rhetorical question, "What is our life?" The question is meant to provoke the reader to reflect on the meaning of life and the purpose of our existence.
In the final stanza, the speaker concludes the poem by stating that the flower's beauty is a reminder of God's love and grace. The flower is a symbol of the beauty and goodness of God's creation. The speaker then asks God to "teach me to love and praise thee." The speaker acknowledges that God is the source of all beauty and goodness, and that we should love and praise Him for His blessings.
The Flower is a poem that is rich in symbolism and imagery. The flower is a symbol of the beauty and fragility of life. The flower's color represents the duality of life, the contrast between joy and sorrow, life and death. The flower's short lifespan is a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of living in the present moment. The speaker's rhetorical question is a reminder to the reader to reflect on the meaning of life and the purpose of our existence. The poem's final stanza is a reminder of God's love and grace, and the importance of loving and praising Him for His blessings.
The poem's structure is also significant. The poem consists of three stanzas, each with four lines. The first and second stanzas describe the flower's beauty and short lifespan, while the third stanza reflects on the spiritual significance of the flower. The poem's rhythmic flow and musical quality give it a sense of beauty and harmony, which reflects the beauty and harmony of nature.
The Flower is a timeless poem that speaks to the human condition. It reminds us of the beauty and fragility of life, and the importance of living in the present moment. It also reminds us of the spiritual significance of life, and the importance of loving and praising God for His blessings. The poem's rich symbolism and imagery make it a masterpiece of religious poetry, and a testament to George Herbert's faith and poetic genius.
In conclusion, The Flower is a classic poem that captures the essence of life and death, and the eternal cycle of nature. It is a masterpiece of religious poetry that reflects George Herbert's deep faith in God. The poem's rich symbolism and imagery make it a timeless work of art that speaks to the human condition. The Flower is a reminder of the beauty and fragility of life, and the importance of living in the present moment. It is a testament to the power of poetry to inspire and uplift the human spirit.
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