Ephes. 4. 30. Grieve not the Holy Spirit, &c
The Grief of God
The poet marvels that the Holy Spirit, the God of strength and power, would be grieved by a lowly creature's sin.
And are you grieved, sweet and sacred Dove, when I am sour and cross your love?1 Grieved for me?✦ The God of strength and power, grieved for a worm that, when I step on it, I walk on and leave dead?✦2
Weep and Reject Mirth
The poet calls for tears of repentance, warns against frivolous mirth, and grounds this discipline in the fact that God himself groans over sin.
Then weep, my eyes—the God of love grieves. Weep, foolish heart, and live by weeping: for death is dry as dust. Yet if you part, end as the night does, whose dark hue shows your sins; melt into dew.3 When insolent mirth comes knocking or calling at the door, cry out, "Get away!"—or cry no more.4 Almighty God grieves; he takes on feeling. I don't sin only to my own grief, but to my God's as well—he groans.5
The Lute of Lament
The poet urges taking up music to sustain a complaint, insisting that only stopping creates discord, and that even hard stones can weep.
Oh, take your lute, and tune it to a strain that can complain with you all day.✦ There can be no discord except in stopping.6 Marbles can weep; and surely strings have more feeling than such hard things.7
Tears and the Blood of Christ
The poet sentences himself to endless tears, acknowledges the natural limit of weeping, and finds hope in Christ's blood that supplies what tears cannot.
Lord, I sentence myself to tears and grief—even endless tears without relief.✦ If a clear spring never holds back for me, but keeps running even though I'm not dry—I'm no crystal; what am I to do?8 Yet if I don't keep wailing—since nature forbids endless wailing, and flesh would fail if what I deserve held mastery over my eyes—Lord, pardon me, for your Son makes good my lack of tears with an abundance of blood.✦9
Read the original English
ANd art thou grieved, sweet and sacred Dove, When I am sowre, And crosse thy love? Grieved for me? the God of strength and power Griev'd for a worm, which when I tread, I passe away and leave it dead?
Then weep mine eyes, the God of love doth grieve: Weep foolish heart, And weeping live: For death is drie as dust. Yet if ye part, End as the night, whose sable hue Your sinnes expresse; melt into dew.
When sawcie mirth shall knock or call at doore, Crie out, Get hence, Or crie no more. Almightie God doth grieve, he puts on sense: I sinne not to my grief alone, But to my Gods too; he doth grone.
Oh take thy lute, and tune it to a strain, Which may with thee All day complain. There can no discord but in ceasing be. Marbles can weep; and surely strings More bowels have then such hard things.
Lord, I adjudge my self to tears and grief, Ev’n endlesse tears Without relief. If a cleare spring for me no time forbears, But runnes, although I be not drie; I am no Crystall, what shall I?
Yet if I wail not still, since still to wail Nature denies; And flesh would fail, If my deserts were masters of mine eyes: Lord, pardon, for thy sonne makes good My want of tears with store of bloud.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.4.30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- ↩Eph.4.30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- ↩Eph.4.30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- ↩Eph.4.30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
- ↩Eph.4.30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early Modern sowre = sour-tempered, peevish, bitter; crosse = thwart, oppose, frustrate. 'Cross your love' keeps Herbert's verb while remaining plain modern English.
- 2 ↩Here passe away means pass on / go by, not die: the speaker treads the worm, continues on his way, and leaves it dead—contrasting casual human indifference with God's grief.
- 3 ↩'part' keeps the source's open sense: eyes and heart ceasing, separating, or departing at death; the night that ends by melting into dew supplies the model for a tearful, penitent ending.
- 4 ↩Early modern 'sawcie' means impudent, presumptuous, irreverent; rendered as 'insolent' to keep the moral force of frivolous joy treated as an unwelcome visitor.
- 5 ↩Herbert's 'puts on sense' personifies God as clothing himself with sensation so as to feel grief; rendered 'takes on feeling' to keep that force without archaism.
- 6 ↩Herbert's point is musical and moral at once: the mournful strain stays in tune with the soul's grief; only ceasing that complaint would introduce discord.
- 7 ↩Source 'bowels' is the older biblical sense of tender compassion/feeling, not anatomy; 'then' is Early Modern spelling for 'than'.
- 8 ↩Herbert's 'Crystall' is the pure, transparent fountain-glass that can pour without ceasing; the speaker confesses he is not that kind of vessel for unending tears.
- 9 ↩Early modern 'deserts' means deserts as deserved recompense (what my sins deserve), not wastelands; rendered as 'what I deserve'.
The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere