Repentance
Confession and the Brevity of Life
The soul confesses its great sin and reflects on the fleeting nature of life, tracing human sorrow back to Adam's fall.
Lord, I confess my sin is great; great is my sin. Oh! Be gentle with this brief flower, this momentary bloom—a life that moves as one continuous undressing, always aiming at the tomb.1 A human lifetime is just two or three hours of work—each day that circles around us can see it. So we are young to delights, but we are all old to sorrows—if life is measured by what life feels: Adam's fall.2
A Plea for Mercy in Repentance
The sinner appeals to God's compassion, acknowledges foolishness, and asks that the bitter cup of affliction be sweetened.
So then, let the height of your mercy take compassion on short-breathed people.3 Don't cut me off for my foulest transgression: I confess my foolishness; my God, accept my confession. At last, sweeten this bitter bowl that you have poured into my soul. Turn your bitterness into health, and these winds into fair weather. For if you delay, this day and I will die together, just as we rose together.
From Rebuke to Restoration
While human beings wither under divine rebuke, God will destroy sin and grief, turning broken bones into a harmonious song and making the restored heart stronger.
When you rebuke a person for sin, he at once grows wretched and pale: Bitterness fills our inmost parts; all our hearts pine and decay, and drop away, and take the other parts with them. But you will destroy sin and grief, so that the broken bones may rejoice and harmonize in a well-composed song, full of praises to the One who raises the dead. Fractures well cured make us stronger.
Read the original English
LOrd, I confesse my sinne is great; Great is my sinne. Oh! gently treat With thy quick flow'r, thy moment anie bloom; Whose life still pressing Is one undressing, A steadie aiming at a tombe.
Mans age is two houres work, or three: Each day doth round about us see. Thus are we to delights: but we are all To sorrows old, If life be told From what life feeleth, Adams fall.
O let thy height of mercy then Compassionate short-breathed men. Cut me not off for my most foul transgression: I do confesse My foolishnesse; My God, accept of my confession.
Sweeten at length this bitter bowl, Which thou hast pour'd into my soul: Thy wormwood turn to health, windes to fair weather: For if thou stay, I and this day, As we did rise, we die together.
When thou for sinne rebukest man, Forthwith he waxeth wo and wan: Bitternesse fills our bowels; all our hearts Pine and decay, And drop away, And carrie with them th' other parts.
But thou wilt sinne and grief destroy; That so the broken bones may joy, And tune together in a well-set song, Full of his praises, Who dead men raises. Fractures well cur'd make us more strong.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'moment anie' is Early Modern 'momentarie'/'momentanie' (momentary); 'quick flow'r' is living/swift-lived flower. 'Treat with' = deal with / handle.
- 2 ↩Herbert's 'Thus are we to delights' is elliptical: the 'thus' picks up the extreme brevity of human life in s1, so the implied contrast is young/new to delights versus old to sorrows. Rendered with that force explicit for modern readability.
- 3 ↩Source uses 'Compassionate' as a verb ('have compassion on / take pity on'); 'short-breathed' means brief-lived, continuing the previous section's image of life's short span.
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