. I saw Eternity the other night,
Like a great ring of pure and endless light,
All calm, as it was bright;
And round beneath it, Time in hours, days, years,
Driv'n by the spheres
Like a vast shadow mov'd; in which the world
And all her train were hurl'd.
The doting lover in his quaintest strain
Did there complain;
Near him, his lute, his fancy, and his flights,
Wit's sour delights,
With gloves, and knots, the silly snares of pleasure,
Yet his dear treasure
All scatter'd lay, while he his eyes did pour
Upon a flow'r.
The darksome statesman hung with weights and woe,
Like a thick midnight-fog mov'd there so slow,
He did not stay, nor go;
Condemning thoughts (like sad eclipses) scowl
Upon his soul,
And clouds of crying witnesses without
Pursued him with one shout.
Yet digg'd the mole, and lest his ways be found,
Work'd under ground,
Where he did clutch his prey; but one did see
That policy;
Churches and altars fed him; perjuries
Were gnats and flies;
It rain'd about him blood and tears, but he
Drank them as free.
The fearful miser on a heap of rust
Sate pining all his life there, did scarce trust
His own hands with the dust,
Yet would not place one piece above, but lives
In fear of thieves;
Thousands there were as frantic as himself,
And hugg'd each one his pelf;
The downright epicure plac'd heav'n in sense,
And scorn'd pretence,
While others, slipp'd into a wide excess,
Said little less;
The weaker sort slight, trivial wares enslave,
Who think them brave;
And poor despised Truth sate counting by
Their victory.
Yet some, who all this while did weep and sing,
And sing, and weep, soar'd up into the ring;
But most would use no wing.
O fools (said I) thus to prefer dark night
Before true light,
To live in grots and caves, and hate the day
Because it shews the way,
The way, which from this dead and dark abode
Leads up to God,
A way where you might tread the sun, and be
More bright than he.
But as I did their madness so discuss
One whisper'd thus,
"This ring the Bridegroom did for none provide,
But for his bride."
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Bible Verse
From guest Sean (contact)
The version of the poem that I read had included at the bottom of it (as part of the poem) 1 John 2:16-17: "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." I think that with that verse as context, the entire poem makes a lot more sense. -
From guest Sarah Khayal (contact)
My first impression of Vaughan's poem "The World" is its length as i don't like very long poems. When i had a first glimpse on the title of the poem, i wondered what kind of worlds does this metaphysical poet mean, is it the earthly world where we are presently living, or it is the heavenly world which most of the metaphysical poets were talking about in their poems. Something else had attracted my attention also, which is the short or brief titles that Vaughan used to name his poems, like "The World, The retreat,Peace, Regeneration...etc; contrary to other metaphysical poets like John Donne who used long titles, like" Death be not Proud, Valediction:forbidden Mourning...etc". When i read the first line of the poem " I saw Eternity the other night", I noticed that Vaughan is using the word "eternity" for another more time, as he used it before in the previous poem "The World", when he says "shadow of eternity", but i wondered how could the poet see eternity, is eternity something physical which could be seen or what? From reading the first stanza, i guessed that the poet is the speaker himself who is speaking to someone who isnot presented with him, or he could speak to himself. When i read the capitalized word "Ring",i got reminded of Donne's poem "Valediction:Forbidden Mourning" because he use the same word in that poem, but i guessed that there something special about this word because it's capitalized, so it must have some kind of importance,I personally think that it could be pun, but i am not very sure. I also think that the use of the image of the ring is a platonic idea, as he described time which made up the circling sphere of the physical universe. I also feel that there is another platonic reference in this poem, which one can found it in Vaughan's use of the word "Caves" when the poet says, "To Live in Grots, and Caves, and hate the day". This poem' im my own point of view, has a religious tone due to the words which are used by the poet, such as "Churches, ring, altars, weep, tears,blood...etc. Finally, even though this poem is very long, it is interesting, but it need some explanation for the metaphors and images which are included. -
inspired.
this has to be one of my favourite poems... utterly inspired... it reminds me at this moment of Milton's "fix here ye overdated spheres that wing the restless foote of time!"
i am not religious but as a metaphysician i love this poem.
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