Deniall
A Broken Heart Cannot Pray
The poet describes how his devotional efforts fail and his thoughts scatter helplessly.
When my devotions couldn't reach your silent ears, my heart broke—just like my verse did. My chest was full of fears and disorder. My strained thoughts, like a brittle bow, flew apart: each took its own way; some would go off to pleasures, some to the wars and the thunder of alarms.
Crying in the Silence
Despite persistent cries and kneeling, the poet receives no answer from God and laments being given a voice only to be ignored.
You might as well go anywhere, they say, as numb both your knees and your heart, crying night and day, 'Come, come, my God, O come!'1 But no one heard. Oh, that you would give dust a tongue to cry to you, and then not hear it crying!✦✦ All day long my heart was in my knee, but no hearing.2
Restoration Hoped For
The poet confesses his soul is untuned and lifeless, then prays for God to restore harmony and answer his request.
Therefore my soul lay out of sight, untuned, unstrung: my feeble spirit, unable to look right, hung discontented like a nipped blossom. O cheer and tune my heartless breast; delay no longer—so that your favors, granting my request, may chime with my mind and mend my rhyme.3
Read the original English
WHen my devotions could not pierce Thy silent eares; Then was my heart broken, as was my verse: My breast was full of fears And disorder:
My bent thoughts, like a brittle bow, Did flie asunder: Each took his way; some would to pleasures go, Some to the warres and thunder Of alarms.
As good go any where, they say, As to benumme Both knees and heart, in crying night and day, Come, come, my God, O come! But no hearing.
O that thou shouldst give dust a tongue To crie to thee, And then not heare it crying! all day long My heart was in my knee, But no hearing.
Therefore my soul lay out of sight, Untun'd, unstrung: My feeble spirit, unable to look right, Like a nipt blossome, hung Discontented.
O cheer and tune my heartlesse breast, Deferre no time; That so thy favours granting my request, They and my minde may chime, And mend my ryme.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.3.19;Ps.103.14 — By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Ps.103.14 — For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
- ↩Ps.22.2;Ps.28.1 — My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my groaning. Ps.28.1 — To you, O LORD, I call; my Rock, do not be deaf to me, lest you be silent to me, and I become like those who go down to the pit.
Notes
- 1 ↩Early modern 'As good go… as to…' is an elliptical comparative: going anywhere is as worthwhile (i.e., no more worthwhile) than exhausting yourself in unanswered prayer. 'Benumme' = benumb, make numb or deaden.
- 2 ↩Herbert's compressed image: heart (inner devotion) located in the knee (posture of prayer)—total kneeling petition. Kept as image rather than paraphrased away.
- 3 ↩heartlesse means disheartened or without heart/spirit, not cruel; cheer answers that sense. ryme keeps Herbert’s double play of poetic rhyme and restored spiritual harmony.
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