Man
The Grandeur of Man
God builds no dwelling more splendid than Man, before whom all creation decays.
My God, I heard today that no one builds a grand dwelling unless they intend to live in it. What more splendid house has there ever been—or could there be—than a human being?1 Compared to the creation of a human being, all things are decaying.2
Man the Microcosm
Man encompasses all creation, possessing reason and speech, and is a harmonious microcosm of the universe.
For humanity is everything, and more: it is a tree, yet bears no fruit; a beast, yet is—or should be—more. We alone bring reason and speech.3 Parrots might thank us if they aren't mute; they run up a debt with us.4 Man is all symmetry, full of proportions, one limb to another, and all to the whole world besides. Each part may call the farthest its brother: for head has a private friendship with foot, and both with moons and tides.
Creation Serves Man
All elements and creatures serve Man, providing for his needs, delight, and contemplation.
Nothing has gotten so far that Man hasn't caught and kept it as his prey.✦ His eyes bring down the highest star: in miniature, he is the whole sphere.56 Herbs gladly heal our flesh, because they find their own kind there.7 The winds blow for us; the earth rests, the heavens move, and the fountains flow. Nothing we see is anything but a means to our good—as our delight, or as our treasure. The whole is either our cupboard of food or our cabinet of pleasure.8 The stars put us to bed; Night draws the curtain, which the sun pulls back: Music and light wait on us at our head. All things are kind to our flesh in their descent and being; to our mind in their ascent and cause.9
The Order of Service
Creation's service to Man is beautiful, well-ordered, and filled with duty.
Everything is full of duty. Waters joined together provide our navigation; separated, they provide our homes; below, our drink; above, our food; and in both forms, they provide our cleanliness.10 Does any single thing possess such beauty? How neat and well-ordered everything is!11
The Palace and the Prayer
Recognizing creation's abundant service and God's love, the soul prays for God to dwell in Man so that all may serve Him.
More servants wait on man than he'll take notice of: on every path he treads down what befriends him when sickness makes him pale and wan.12 Oh, mighty love! Man is one world, and has another to attend him. So then, my God, you have built such a splendid palace—oh, live in it, so that at last it may live with you!✦13 Until then, give us enough understanding that, as the world serves us, we may serve you, and both be your servants.14
Read the original English
MY God, I heard this day, That none doth build a stately habitation, But he that means to dwell therein. What house more stately hath there been, Or can be, then is Man? to whose creation All things are in decay.
For Man is ev'ry thing, And more: He is a tree, yet bears no fruit; A beast, yet is, or should be more. Reason and speech we onely bring. Parrats may thank us, if they are not mute, They go upon the score.
Man is all symmetrie, Full of proportions, one limbe to another, And all to all the world besides: Each part may call the farthest brother: For head with foot hath private amitie, And both with moons and tides.
Nothing hath got so farre, But Man hath caught and kept it, as his prey. His eyes dismount the highest starre: He is in little all the sphere. Herbs gladly cure our flesh; because that they Finde their acquaintance there.
For us the windes do blow, The earth doth rest, heav'n move, and fountains flow. Nothing we see, but means our good, As our delight, or as our treasure: The whole is either our cupboard of food, Or cabinet of pleasure.
The starres have us to bed; Night draws the curtain, which the sunne withdraws: Musick and light attend our head. All things unto our flesh are kinde In their descent and being; to our minde In their ascent and cause.
Each thing is full of dutie. Waters united are our navigation; Distinguished, our habitation; Below, our drink; above, our meat; Both are our cleanlinesse. Hath one such beautie? Then how are all things neat!
More servants wait on Man, Then he'l take notice of: in ev'ry path He treads down that which doth befriend him, When sicknesse makes him pale and wan. Oh mightie love! Man is one world, and hath Another to attend him.
Since then, my God, thou hast So brave a Palace built; O dwell in it, That it may dwell with thee at last! Till then, afford us so much wit, That, as the world serves us, we may serve thee, And both thy servants be.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.28 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Gen.1.28 — And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'
- ↩1Cor.3.16 — Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'then' is the early-modern spelling of comparative 'than'; rendered as modern 'than'.
- 2 ↩'to whose creation / All things are in decay' is rendered comparatively: relative to Man's making, everything else stands in a lesser, declining condition. The relative clause continues 'Man' from the previous sentence.
- 3 ↩Early modern onely here means 'alone/uniquely' (we alone), not modern 'merely'.
- 4 ↩go upon the score is early modern commercial idiom: to be put on an account / run a debt. Rendered as 'run up a score with us' to keep the accounting image while remaining clear.
- 5 ↩"dismount" keeps Herbert's image of the gaze taking the star from its height; rendered as "bring down" for modern clarity without losing the active force.
- 6 ↩"in little all the sphere" is the microcosm claim: man contains, in small, the whole cosmos.
- 7 ↩"acquaintance" means kindred matter or familiar elements shared between plant and human flesh (sympathetic correspondence), not social familiarity; rendered "their own kind."
- 8 ↩Early modern 'means our good' taken as 'is a means to our good' (serves / tends toward our benefit), not merely 'signifies' or 'intends.'
- 9 ↩"Kind" keeps Herbert's sense that created things are friendly or beneficial: to the body as they come down into material existence, and to the mind as they are traced upward to their cause.
- 10 ↩Early modern 'meat' means food in general, not only flesh; 'distinguished' means set apart or divided (as when the waters yield dry land for habitation).
- 11 ↩Early modern 'neat' means elegantly fitted, pure, and well-ordered, not merely tidy.
- 12 ↩Early modern 'Then' is comparative 'than' (more than he notices), not temporal 'then'.
- 13 ↩Source 'brave' means fine/splendid (early modern sense), not courageous; rendered 'splendid'.
- 14 ↩Source 'wit' is practical understanding/good sense, not cleverness or humor; rendered 'sense'.
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