Only a sweet and virtuous soul Till a’ the seas gang dry my dear In what distant deeps or skies hammer Till a’ the seas gang dry my dear
Only a sweet and virtuous soul
Only a sweet and virtuous soul, Like season timber, never gives;
But though the whole world turns to coal. Then chiefly lives.
Expl. Only a sweet and virtuous soul This is the concluding stanza of the poem, “Virtue” by G. Herbert. As he was a religious poet, he emphasizes the Virtue of spiritual merit. Virtue is one of them. The poet in the foregoing three stanzas has proved that all things, however beautiful, are sure to die.
A day as fine as the bridal of the earth and the sky will turn into evening. A fine rise…. with hue, angry and brave….must die. The spring is a box of sweet compacted… Will also end. But Piet says that Virtue is everlasting.
It defies all rules of decay and destruction. It is lasting like a log of seasoned timber. Though the world may burn and rot turn to coal. Yet a seasoned timber outlives the process of death.
Virtue similarly is not perishable though the world may be destroyed by the forces of decay. Only a sweet and virtuous soul
When the star threw down its spear, And water heaven with theirs, tears
Did he smile at his work to see? Did he who made the lamb make thee?
Expl. These lines have been taken from the poem. ‘The Tiger’ was written by William Blake. He was a visionary and as such looked behind the visible fame of things for the glories and terrors of the world of spirit.
Here the poet travels to the creative genius of God who has created two animals dramatically opposed to each other. One is a Tiger, a concentrated mass of burning ferocity, and the other, a lamb, the gentlest of creatures.
Blake particularly refers to the fear that gripped nature at the creation of so appalling and awesome a creature as the tiger. There were storms of protest. They all felt that the tiger had been created for a cruel purpose; it would kill men and animals.
The poet is struck by a sense of wonder. He thinks that God had created a lamb. The lamb and the tiger are studies in contrast. He is highly surprised to find that the same creator has created two animals as opposed to each other.
In what distant deeps or skies
In what distant deeps or skies, Burnt the fire of the eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand dares seize the fire?
Or.
And what shoulder, and what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when they began to beat, What dread hand? and what dread feet?
Expl. These lines have been taken from the poem ‘The Tiger’ written by William Blake. He was a bold and consistent adventurer in ideas. His lyrics are fresh and delicate, upward and elemental.
Here the poet marvels at the creative genius of God who must have created so appalling a creature as the tiger. He is filled with a sense of wonder when he observes the limb of the tiger. He feels that God must have created the tiger in son divine smith.
The sinews of the tiger’s heart must have been controlled and regulated after great efforts. The fire for its eyes must have been brought from some remote subterranean or celestial region.
Its heart and frame must have been twisted and shaped only by a creature more powerful and fearful than the tiger itself. Blake feels that the creation of the tiger is an extraordinary work that must have been accomplished by God.
What is the hammer
What is the hammer? What is the chain? In what furnace was the brain?
What is the anvil? What dread grasp, Dare its deadly terror’s clasp?
Expl. These lines have been taken from the poem. ‘The Tiger‘ was written by William Blake. He had the naturalness and spontaneity of a child. Both the mysticism and the naturalism of the Romantic Revival found expression in Blake.
Here the poet expresses his sense of wonder at the creation of so appalling a creature as the tiger. It is no secret the tiger is the symbol of all that is cruel and dreadful.
Its eyes are ferociously bright. They glow like a live coal in the dark forest at night. The whole animal a concentrated mass of burning ferocity is the handy work of God.
Blake is attracted by the terrifying yet graceful animal. Its ‘fearful symmetry fills his mind with wonder and awe.
He maintains that an elaborate arrangement must have been made by God to shape this appalling creature, The fire for its eyes must have been brought from some remote celestial regions. Its heart must have been twisted and shaped by the all-powerful God.
Indeed this- awesome creature must have been fashioned by a divine smith in a divine workshop. God must have used a hammer, anvil, and other tools.
Till a’ the seas gang dry my dear
Till a’ the seas gang dry my dear, And he rock melt with the sun,
And I will live these still, dear, While the sands o’ life shall run.
Or,
And fare thee weel, my only love, And fare thee weel a while,
And I will come again; my love, Tho it was ten thousand miles.
Expl. These lines have been taken from the poem, “My love like a red rose” written by Robert Burns, one of the greatest poets of England. Here the poet expresses the intensity of his love in a racy language.
It is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings. The poet is enamored of his beloved. She is a paragon of beauty. She is as beautiful as a newly sprung rose.
The poet is deeply in love with her. So deep is his love that he will continue to love her till all the seas go dry. His love is genuine. He will love her till eternity.
He promises to back to her whatever happens distance shall be no barrier to him. His love transcends time and distance.
These lines are noted for their lyrical grace and beauty. The use of hyperbole is in harmony with the thought expressed.
