Sinnes round
The Ring of Offenses
The speaker confesses sorrow for sins that race around in a ring, naming the chapter’s central image.
I'm sorry, my God—I'm sorry that my offenses race around in a ring.
Words Fan the Flame
Inflamed thoughts hatch into designs, and the speaker’s words catch fire and spread evil by breathing it abroad.
My thoughts work like a busy flame until they hatch and produce their cockatrice. And once they have perfected their designs, my words catch fire from my inflamed thoughts.12 My words take fire from my inflamed thoughts, which spit it out like the Sicilian hill.3 They put the wares out and pass them with their faults, and by breathing them out they fan the evil.4
Deeds Build Babel
Hands complete what words began, sins rise to a Babel-like tower, and evil deeds feed new thoughts until the speaker returns to sorrow.
But words aren't enough where there are base intentions: my hands join in to finish the inventions.5 My hands join in to finish these inventions, and so my sins climb three stories high, just as Babel grew before there were dissensions. Yet evil deeds don't loiter: for they supply new thoughts of sinning; so, to my shame, I am sorry, my God, I am sorry.
Read the original English
SOrrie I am, my God, sorrie I am, That my offences course it in a ring. My thoughts are working like a busie flame, Untill their cockatrice they hatch and bring: And when they once have perfected their draughts, My words take fire from my inflamed thoughts.
My words take fire from my inflamed thoughts, Which spit it forth like the Sicilian hill. They vent the wares, and passe them with their faults, And by their breathing ventilate the ill. But words suffice not, where are lewd intentions: My hands do joyn to finish the inventions.
My hands do joyn to finish the inventions: And so my sinnes ascend three stories high, As Babel grew, before there were dissentions. Yet ill deeds loyter not: for they supplie New thoughts of sinning: wherefore to my shame, Sorrie I am, my God, sorrie I am.
Notes
- 1 ↩Retained as Herbert's image of a hatched, deadly serpent (also a biblical figure of venomous evil); not modernized to a generic 'monster' or 'basilisk,' which would dull the scriptural echo.
- 2 ↩Early Modern 'draughts' here means drafted plans or designs of evil, not drinks; rendered as 'designs.'
- 3 ↩"Sicilian hill" is Mount Etna: the volcanic image continues the fire metaphor from the previous section (thoughts as a busy flame hatching a cockatrice).
- 4 ↩"Vent the wares" and "pass them with their faults" keep Herbert's mercantile image: words as traders who put sinful goods into circulation "with all faults" (sold as-is). "Ventilate" continues both the market sense (air the stock) and the fire image (fan the blaze).
- 5 ↩Early modern "lewd" means base or wicked more broadly than modern sexual "lewd"; rendered "base" to keep the moral force without that narrowing. "Inventions" keeps Herbert's sense of devised schemes, completed when hands finish what thoughts and words began.
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