The Banquet
Welcome to the Banquet
The soul welcomes Christ's presence in the Eucharist as a sweet and sacred cheer, and marvels at the divine sweetness that fills the soul like a star melted in wine.
Welcome, sweet and sacred cheer— welcome, dear one. Live with me, live in me, make your home here: for your purity surpasses sight, and your delight surpasses what tongue can taste or tell.12 Oh what sweetness from the bowl fills my soul—such as is divine, and makes divine!3 Has some star, fled from its sphere, melted there, as we melt sugar in wine?
The Sweetness That Overcomes Sin
The soul reflects that the sweetness in the bread overpowers the stench of sin, and recognizes that only God, who takes on flesh and is broken like bruised perfume, can give such grace.
Or has the sweetness in the bread gained the upper hand to overpower the smell of sin— flowers and gums and powders giving all their life, so the enemy won't win?45 No doubt, neither star nor flower has the power to give such sweetness: only God, who gives perfumes, takes on flesh, and with it perfumes my heart. But just as pomanders and wood are still good, yet smell better when bruised, God, to show how far his love could go, is presented here as broken.67
Raised and Met in the Cup
The soul recalls being found by God when drowning in earthly delights, lifted to look up, and sweetly met in the cup, yet still low until the wine becomes a wing.
When I had forgotten my origin and was drowning in earthly pleasures, God took blood and insisted on being poured out with me—and that is how He found me on the ground.8 Having raised me to look up, he sweetly meets my taste in a cup. But I, still low and short, far from court — wine becomes a wing at last.9
Flight and Song
By the wine of the Eucharist the soul flies to heaven, sees Christ, and dedicates its life and song to the wonder of His mercy, striving in love.
For with it alone I fly to the sky, where I wipe my eyes and see what I seek and what I plead for; I see Him who has done so much for me. Let the wonder of this pity be my song, and take up my lines and my life: listen, under pain of death—hands and breath—strive in this, and love the strife.1011
Read the original English
Welcome sweet and sacred cheer, Welcome deare; With me, in me, live and dwell: For thy neatnesse passeth sight, Thy delight Passeth tongue to taste or tell.
O what sweetnesse from the bowl Fills my soul, Such as is, and makes divine! Is some starre (fled from the sphere) Melted there, As we sugar melt in wine?
Or hath sweetnesse in the bread Made a head To subdue the smell of sinne; Flowers, and gummes, and powders giving All their living, Lest the enemie should winne?
Doubtlesse, neither starre nor flower Hath the power Such a sweetnesse to impart: Onely God, who gives perfumes, Flesh assumes, And with it perfumes my heart.
But as Pomanders and wood Still are good, Yet being bruis'd are better sented: God, to show how farre his love Could improve, Here, as broken, is presented.
When I had forgot my birth, And on earth In delights of earth was drown'd; God took bloud, and needs would be Spilt with me, And so found me on the ground.
Having rais'd me to look up, In a cup Sweetly he doth meet my taste. But I still being low and short, Farre from court, Wine becomes a wing at last.
For with it alone I flie To the skie: Where I wipe mine eyes, and see What I seek, for what I sue; Him I view, Who hath done so much for me.
Let the wonder of this pitie Be my dittie, And take up my lines and life: Hearken under pain of death, Hands and breath; Strive in this, and love the strife.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern cheer means festive hospitality/banquet refreshment, not mere mood; kept as cheer to preserve the banquet register of the poem.
- 2 ↩Neatness here is purity, elegance, and exquisite fineness, not mere tidiness; rendered as purity.
- 3 ↩Herbert's compressed 'Such as is, and makes divine' means the sweetness both is divine in itself and makes the recipient divine (participates in God). Kept the double force rather than flattening to one sense.
- 4 ↩Early modern idiom: 'make a head' means advance or gain the upper hand; in this aromatic context it can also suggest composing a perfume 'head' (leading fragrance). Rendered as 'gained the upper hand' for plain force and clarity.
- 5 ↩Not oral gums: aromatic resins (frankincense-like gums) used in perfumes and incense.
- 6 ↩Early modern improve here means advance, enhance, or push further in excellence; rendered as how far his love could go, which preserves the sense that the broken presentation surpasses the already-good fragrance of the uncrushed type.
- 7 ↩Pomanders are scented balls or sachets of perfume; kept for historical precision rather than flattened to perfume alone.
- 8 ↩Early modern “needs would be” means he was determined / would of necessity; “Spilt with me” keeps the Eucharistic/Passion sense of blood poured out in solidarity with the fallen speaker, not merely beside him.
- 9 ↩‘Court’ may mean the royal court or God’s heavenly court; either way the speaker remains lowly and outside that presence until the wine lifts him.
- 10 ↩Early modern 'pitie' is divine compassion/mercy (Christ's pity toward the speaker), not mere human pathos; retained as 'pity' to keep Herbert's exact sense beside the protected term mercy.
- 11 ↩Rendered 'song' (theme/refrain of song-making). Modern 'ditty' often sounds trivial and would undercut the solemn claim on both verse and life.
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