The Glance
Awakening Grace
The poet recalls the first transforming glance of divine grace, which brought sweet delight and has since sustained the soul through bitter storms.
When your sweet and gracious eye first deigned to look on me—even in the middle of youth and night—I who had been wallowing in sin until then felt a strange, sugared delight, surpassing every tonic made by any skill, that dewed, embalmed, and flooded my heart, and took it in.12 Since that time my soul has felt many a bitter storm—storms strong enough to destroy me, if the malicious, ill-meaning harm had been given free rein. But still your sweet original joy, sprung from your eye, worked within my soul, and when the surging griefs grew bold, it held them in check and won the day.
The Full-Eyed Love
The poet contrasts the partial first glance with the promised full vision of God, which will bring surpassing delight and deliverance from pain.
If your first glance is so powerful—a joy only opened, then sealed up again—what wonders will we feel when we see your full-eyed love!3 When you look us out of pain, and one glance of yours pours out more delight than a thousand suns pour out in light, in heaven above.4
Read the original English
When first thy sweet and gracious eye Vouchsaf'd ev'n in the midst of youth and night To look upon me, who before did lie Weltring in sinne: I felt a sugred strange delight, Passing all cordials made by any art, Bedew, embalme, and overrunne my heart, And take it in.
Since that time many a bitter storm My soul hath felt, ev'n able to destroy, Had the malicious and ill-meaning harm His swing and sway: But still thy sweet originall joy Sprung from thine eye, did work within my soul, And surging griefs, when they grew bold, controll, And got the day.
If thy first glance so powerfull be, A mirth but open'd, and seal'd up again; What wonders shall we feel, when we shall see Thy full-ey'd love! When thou shalt look us out of pain, And one aspect of thine spend in delight More then a thousand sunnes disburse in light, In heav'n above.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'cordials' are restorative tonics or medicinal elixirs; rendered as 'tonic' for contemporary clarity while keeping the sense of a healing draught.
- 2 ↩Paired as the speaker's early years and spiritual darkness; kept as 'youth and night' to preserve Herbert's double scene of age and condition.
- 3 ↩full-eyed love: love looking with eyes fully open—an undivided, unrestricted gaze of love, not merely intense emotion.
- 4 ↩look us out of pain: Herbert's construction—God's look itself draws the speaker free of pain, not merely looks upon pain.
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