Love (III) is the third of three poems with the same title written by the religious poet and Anglican priest George Herbert. It is one of 164 short lyric poems collected under the title The Temple and published after Herbert’s death in 1633. Herbert described his poems as pictures of “conflicts” between his soul and God, and his verses are often like inner dialogues that reveal the struggle of the poet between doubt and faith.
In this poem, as in many other Herbert poems, the character “Love” is a personification of God. Here God is the host welcoming the speaker to His table, but encountering hesitation and doubt from one who feels unworthy. Herbert is frequently associated with the metaphysical poets and shares their use of metaphor. In “Love,” he uses an extended metaphor (here, the dialogue about a dinner invitation) to illustrate the struggle of the soul to reach a resolution. In the end, God’s mercy and compassion is demonstrated in the gentle persuasion of “Love,” who successfully brings the humbled doubter to His table.
Love bade me welcome; yet 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 did 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 appeal of Herbert’s poetry lies in the apparent simplicity, in both form and content, of his verses. They use everyday words and rhythms of speech rather than formal poetic language. They also express humility and simple piety instead of elaborate religious philosophies. At the same time, however, Herbert was a careful craftsman who incorporated intricate patterns, rhymes, and metrical schemes into his lyrics. He was known for the development of the pattern poem, in which words and lines were arranged on the page to create a visual pattern. He employed more than 140 different stanza forms in his poetic output. For many readers, the detailed construction behind Herbert’s poetry is merely further proof of the poet’s religious devotion.
For more information on Herbert, see Herbert, George. See also English literature (Metaphysical and Cavalier poets); Metaphysical poets.
