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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE INCARNATE ONE, by EDWIN MUIR Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: The windless northern surge, the sea-gull's scream Last Line: Past the mirages and the murdering snow Subject(s): Christianity | |||
The windless northern surge, the sea-gull's scream, And Calvin's kirk crowning the barren brae. I think of Giotto the Tuscan shepherd's dream, Christ, man and creature in their inner day. How could our race betray The Image, and the Incarnate One unmake Who chose this form and fashion for our sake? The Word made flesh here is made word again A word made word in flourish and arrogant crook. See there King Calvin with his iron pen, And God three angry letters in a book, And there the logical hook On which the Mystery is impaled and bent Into an ideological argument. There's better gospel in man's natural tongue, And truer sight was theirs outside the Law Who saw the far side of the Cross among The archaic peoples in their ancient awe, In ignorant wonder saw The wooden cross-tree on the bare hillside, Not knowing that there a God suffered and died. The fleshless word, growing, will bring us down, Pagan and Christian man alike will fall, The auguries say, the white and black and brown, The merry and the sad, theorist, lover, all Invisibly will fall: Abstract calamity, save for those who can Build their cold empire on the abstract man. A soft breeze stirs and all my thoughts are blown Far out to sea and lost. Yet I know well The bloodless word will battle for its own Invisibly in brain and nerve and cell. The generations tell Their personal tale: the One has far to go Past the mirages and the murdering snow. That was the day they killed the Son of God On a squat hill-top by Jerusalem. Zion was bare, her children from their maze Sucked by the demon curiosity Clean through the gates. The very halt and blind Had somehow got themselves up to the hill. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EL GRECO: ESPOLIO by EARL (EARLE) BIRNEY RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION by MINA LOY OUR LADY OF ARDBOE by PAUL MULDOON LITTLE WHITE CHURCH by MARILYN NELSON |
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