Grief
The Cry for Tears
The speaker cries out for an endless supply of tears to match his overwhelming grief, drawing on nature's waters.
Oh, who will give me tears?✦ Come, all you springs—dwell in my head and eyes; come, clouds and rain. My grief needs all the watery things that nature has produced.✦ Let every vein suck up a river to supply my eyes—my weary weeping eyes, too dry for me unless they get new channels, new supplies, to keep them going and match my condition.1
The Insufficiency of the World
The speaker questions the adequacy of his own tears and then declares the entire world too small to contain his grief and doubts.
What are two shallow fords, two little spouts of a lesser world?2 The greater world is only small—a narrow cupboard for my griefs and doubts, which lack provision even in the midst of everything.3
The Silence of Poetry
The speaker rejects the artifice of poetry as inadequate for his sorrow, choosing silence and a final, raw cry to God.
Verses, you are too fine a thing, too wise for my rough sorrows. Stop—be silent and mute. Give up your feet and running to my eyes, and keep your measures for some lover's lute, whose grief still allows him music and a rhyme. For mine shuts out measure, tune, and time.4 Alas, my God!
Read the original English
O Who will give me tears? Come all ye springs, Dwell in my head and eyes: come clouds, & rain: My grief hath need of all the watry things, That nature hath produc'd. Let ev'ry vein Suck up a river to supply mine eyes, My weary weeping eyes too drie for me, Unlesse they get new conduits, new supplies To bear them out, and with my state agree. What are two shallow foords, two little spouts Of a lesse world? the greater is but small, A narrow cupboard for my griefs and doubts, Which want provision in the midst of all. Verses, ye are too fine a thing, too wise For my rough sorrows: cease, be dumbe and mute, Give up your feet and running to mine eyes, And keep your measures for some lovers lute, Whose grief allows him musick and a ryme: For mine excludes both measure, tune, and time. Alas, my God!
Scripture echoes
- ↩Jer.9.1 — Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging place for travelers, that I might leave my people and go away from them—for they are all adulterers, a company of traitors.
- ↩Jer.9.1 — Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging place for travelers, that I might leave my people and go away from them—for they are all adulterers, a company of traitors.
Notes
- 1 ↩bear them out = sustain/supply the eyes adequately; with my state agree = be equal to the speaker's grief-stricken condition.
- 2 ↩lesse world = the human microcosm; the two eyes are shallow fords/spouts compared with the grief they must discharge.
- 3 ↩the greater = the macrocosm/greater world, contrasted with the lesse world of s4; want provision = lack supplies/resources.
- 4 ↩feet, running, measures, tune, and time carry a double sense: metrical feet and verse-movement, and musical measure/time. The conceit transfers poetic motion to the running of tears.
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