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Guest
Love bade me welcome, but my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
“A guest,” I answered, “worthy to be here.”
Love said, “You shall be he.”
“I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.”
Love took my hand, and smiling made reply,
“Who made the eyes, but I?”
“Truth, lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.”
“And know you not,” says Love, “who bore the blame?”
“My dear, then I will serve.”
“You must sit down;’ says Love, “and taste my meat.”
So I did sit and eat.
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lacked anything.
“A guest,” I answered, “worthy to be here.”
Love said, “You shall be he.”
“I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.”
Love took my hand, and smiling made reply,
“Who made the eyes, but I?”
“Truth, lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.”
“And know you not,” says Love, “who bore the blame?”
“My dear, then I will serve.”
“You must sit down;’ says Love, “and taste my meat.”
So I did sit and eat.
The above is a poem by George Herbert, a 16th-17th century Welsh poet and pastor. I came by the poem in reading the biographies of Simone Weil, a couple of which I have posted, a good one here.
Anthony Esolen is a translator of the Divine Comedy and often contributes Magnificat. His interpretation of the poem is priceless and when you fully understand the scriptural references and how Herbert uses them, I think you will see how precious the poem becomes:
payingattentiontothesky.com/2010/06/29/reasonable-damnation-unreasonable-love-herbert%e2%80%99s-the-temple/
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