Here the subject is mankind and the fall. The shape of the lines are like the movement of wings in flight and reflect the fall and rise of the lark’s flight and also of the fall of man and the rise of the Easter event.
Here’s a beautifully handwritten version of the first half of “Easter Wings.” Time for copywork!This is a pattern poem in that its shape reflects aspects of its meaning. Above all, it is a petition to partake in the power of Easter wings to give flight to the fallen. It is a prayer that sees the whole of Christian life as it deals with loss, decay, affliction, descent, sorrow, and sin alongside harmony, victory, ascent, advancement, and dependence. It is a prayer about the general state of mankind and the particular state of the speaker. This poem is a prayer containing assorted elements: praise, confession, petition, admission of defeat, and anticipation of victory. It’s a wonderful way to begin to understand poetry if you’re not confident in reading it. I like his way of approaching poetry, beginning with a big-picture view, then looking at the parts, and finally, putting it back together to fully understand the beauty and meaning of the poem. To help you understand the poem, I’m going to add in the explication from Joseph Womack’s excellent book, Working it Out: Growing Spiritually with the Poetry of George Herbert. Herbert’s poetry is dense with meaning, and because he was writing in the 17th century, the spelling and mode of expression can be unexpected to modern eyes. Then shall the fall further the flight in me.Īffliction shall advance the flight in me. Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, Most modern poetry anthologies publish it on a single page, but you can still see the wing shape if you turn the book sideways.
The type was set sideways on two pages, creating the shape of wings. I’ll get to a few ideas for making that happen in the next post, but for now, here is one of George Herbert’s most creative and beautiful poems, “Easter Wings.”īecause “Easter Wings” is a shape poem, and I’m not sure that the formatting will be preserved on different devices, take a look at the image above to see how the poem was presented when originally published in The Temple, a 1633 collection of Herbert’s poetry. It’s so much easier then, which is why poetry should be part of every family’s week.
Springtime puts me into a poetic frame of mind, so by the time April arrives - it’s Poetry Month, you know - I have a stack of poetry by my chair and favorite lines running through my head. Most of the poems that have stuck with me were poems I learned when young.
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