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DARK-LAND (2), by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography

Geoffrey Hill’s "Dark-Land (2)" continues the exploration of historical and spiritual themes, intertwining the personal, the national, and the transcendental. This segment delves into the figure of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, juxtaposed against the spiritual and moral state of England.

The poem opens with "Wherein Wesley stood / up from his father's grave," invoking a powerful image of resurrection and defiance. John Wesley’s father, Samuel Wesley, was a clergyman, and the younger Wesley’s rise from his father's grave symbolizes a rebirth of faith and mission. This act of rising "summoned familiar dust / for strange salvation," suggesting that Wesley’s revival of faith drew from the known elements of his heritage and tradition, yet aimed at an unconventional form of salvation.

The phrase "whereto England rous'd, / ignorant, her inane / Midas-like hunger" shifts focus to the nation. England is portrayed as awakening, but in ignorance, driven by a futile and destructive greed reminiscent of King Midas, whose touch turned everything to gold, ultimately proving a curse. This "Midas-like hunger" signifies a materialistic and spiritually void pursuit.

Hill describes England as "smoke / engrossed, cloud-encumbered," painting a picture of a nation shrouded in confusion and obscurity. The imagery of smoke and clouds suggests industrial pollution and moral fog, where clarity and purity are lost. The people are depicted as "a spectral people / raking among the ash," emphasizing their ghostly, insubstantial existence as they sift through the remnants of what was once valuable, now reduced to ash. This act of raking through ash signifies a search for meaning or remnants of past glory amidst desolation.

The final lines, "its freedom a lost haul / of entailed riches," reflect on the concept of freedom as something squandered or unrecognized, buried within inherited wealth and responsibilities. "Entailed riches" alludes to the English practice of primogeniture, where estates and wealth are passed down but are also bound by legal constraints, implying that true freedom and spiritual wealth have been lost or misunderstood within these confines.

In "Dark-Land (2)," Hill continues to probe the complex interplay between historical legacy, spiritual revival, and national identity. The poem suggests a cycle of rebirth and decay, where figures like Wesley emerge to challenge and renew, but the larger societal forces remain entrenched in ignorance and materialism. The spectral imagery and themes of resurrection, spiritual quest, and national critique create a haunting meditation on the state of faith and freedom in England.


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