Sunday
The Light of the Week
Sunday is the bright day that turns us from death to God, illuminating the week.
O day so calm, so bright—the fruit of this world, the bud of the next; the endorsement of supreme delight, written by a Friend, and with his blood; time's resting place; care's balm and bay. The week would be dark if not for your light: your torch shows the way.✦✦12 The other days and you make up one man; you are his face, knocking at heaven with your brow. The workdays are the back; the burden of the week lies there, making the whole body stoop and bow until your release appears.3 We would have gone straight on to endless death — but you pull us and turn us around to look at the One who, if we weren't so dull, we couldn't help but keep looking at; since there is no place so alone that he doesn't fill it.
The Pillars and the Garden
Sundays are the pillars of heaven and the fruitful beds in God's garden, adorning the Church as the bride of Christ.
Sundays are the pillars on which heaven's palace lies arched. The other days fill the spare and hollow room with vanities. They are the fruitful beds and borders in God's rich garden: the bare spaces separate their ranks and orders. The Sundays of a person's life, threaded together on time's string, make bracelets to adorn the wife of the eternal, glorious King. On Sunday heaven's gate stands open; blessings are plentiful and abundant—more plentiful than hope.✦4
The Resurrection and Its Power
Christ's resurrection on Sunday opens heaven and heals our wounds, as typified by Samson.
Today my Savior rose and enclosed this light for his own, so that—just as every animal knows its manger—we wouldn't miss our feed.✦5 Christ has taken in this piece of ground and made a garden there for those who need herbs for their wounds.✦6 Our great Redeemer removed the rest of our creation with the same shaking that, at his passion, moved the earth and everything with it.✦7 Just as Samson carried away the doors, Christ's hands—though nailed—worked our salvation and unhinged that day.✦
Redemption and Ascent
Through Christ's blood we are made bright for Paradise, and we pray to ascend with Sunday to heaven.
We stained the brightness of that day by our grievous sin. So we discarded that robe, receiving a new one at his cost—his blood paid the full price needed to make us bright and fit for Paradise.✦8 You are a day of joy: where the weekdays drag along the ground, your flight is higher, matching your birth. Oh, let me catch you at the leap, leaping with you from seven to seven, until we both, flung up from earth, fly hand in hand to heaven!910
Read the original English
O Day most calm, most bright; The fruit of this, the next worlds bud, Th' indorsement of supreme delight, Writ by a friend, and with his bloud; The couch of time; cares balm and bay: The week were dark, but for thy light: Thy torch doth show the way.
The other dayes and thou Make up one man; whose face thou art, Knocking at heaven with thy brow: The worky-daies are the back-part; The burden of the week lies there, Making the whole to stoup and bow, Till thy release appeare.
Man had straight forward gone To endlesse death: but thou dost pull And turn us round to look on one, Whom, if we were not very dull, We could not choose but look on still; Since there is no place so alone, The which he doth not fill.
Sundaies the pillars are, On which heav'ns palace arched lies: The other dayes fill up the spare And hollow room with vanities. They are the fruitfull beds and borders In Gods rich garden: that is bare, Which parts their ranks and orders.
The Sundaies of mans life, Thredded together on times string, Make bracelets to adorn the wife Of the eternall glorious King. On Sunday heavens gate stands ope; Blessings are plentifull and rife, More plentifull then hope.
This day my Saviour rose, And did inclose this light for his: That, as each beast his manger knows, Man might not of his fodder misse. Christ hath took in this piece of ground, And made a garden there for those Who want herbs for their wound.
The rest of our Creation Our great Redeemer did remove With the same shake, which at his passion Did th'earth and all things with it move. As Samson bore the doores away, Christs hands, though nail'd, wrought our salvation, And did unhinge that day.
The brightnesse of that day We sullied by our foul offence: Wherefore that robe we cast away, Having a new at his expense, Whose drops of bloud paid the full price, That was requir'd to make us gay, And fit for Paradise.
Thou art a day of mirth: And where the week-dayes trail on ground, Thy flight is higher, as thy birth. O let me take thee at the bound, Leaping with thee from sev'n to seven, Till that we both, being toss'd from earth, Flie hand in hand to heaven!
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.26.28;Heb.9.12-Heb.9.22 — For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Heb.9.12 — Neither through the blood of goats and bulls, but through his own blood he entered once for all into the holy places, having obtained eternal redemption. Heb.9.13 — For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, Heb.9.14 — how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb.9.15 — And for this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has occurred to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promised eternal inheritance. Heb.9.16 — For where there is a covenant, the death of the one who made it must be brought forward. Heb.9.17 — For a covenant is confirmed only over dead testators, since it never has force while the one who made it is living. Heb.9.18 — Not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. Heb.9.19 — For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, Heb.9.20 — saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you." Heb.9.21 — And in the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. Heb.9.22 — And under the law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
- ↩Ps.119.105;John.8.12 — Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. John.8.12 — Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'
- ↩Gen.28.17;Rev.4.1 — He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Rev.4.1 — After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice that I had heard speaking with me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.'
- ↩Isa.1.3 — An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master's manger; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.
- ↩John.19.41 — Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
- ↩Matt.27.51 — And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
- ↩Judg.16.3 — And Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he rose and seized the doors of the city gate and the two doorposts, and he pulled them up along with the bar and set them on his shoulders, and he carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
- ↩1Pet.1.18-1Pet.1.19 — knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things—silver or gold—from your futile way of life handed down from your fathers, 1Pet.1.19 — but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot
Notes
- 1 ↩Herbert's 'indorsement' is the legal sense: a confirmation written on the reverse of a deed. Sunday is figured as the countersignature of supreme delight, signed by Christ in his blood.
- 2 ↩'Care's balm and bay' pairs soothing remedy (balm) with laurel (bay), the classical emblem of honor and victory—so Sunday is both comfort for anxiety and a crown over it.
- 3 ↩Herbert personifies the week as one body: Sunday is the face lifted toward heaven; the workdays are the burdened back. 'Release' is Sunday's rest that eases that burden.
- 4 ↩Source 'then' is the early-modern spelling of 'than' in the comparative 'More plentifull then hope.'
- 5 ↩Early Modern 'inclose...for his' means set apart/secure this light for his people; 'fodder' keeps the manger-and-beast metaphor rather than a generic 'nourishment.'
- 6 ↩'Took in' is Early Modern land-language: fenced, claimed, or enclosed as one's own; 'want' here means need, not desire.
- 7 ↩Herbert's "rest" carries a double sense: the Sabbath rest of the old creation and the remainder still needing remaking. Both are left open in the modern line.
- 8 ↩Early modern “gay” here means brightly dressed / joyfully fair, not the modern sexual sense; rendered as “bright” to keep the stanza’s brightness motif and the robe imagery.
- 9 ↩"at the bound" is rendered as "at the leap," taking bound in the sense of a spring or jump (supported by the next line's "Leaping"), not as a boundary or limit.
- 10 ↩"from sev'n to seven" keeps Herbert's number-play: from one Sunday to the next, week by week through the seven-day cycle.
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