Poetry · Chapter
A Cry explained
The speaker expresses a profound sense of dependence on God, portraying himself as a passive vessel through which divine thought and creativity flow.
What happens
The speaker expresses a profound sense of dependence on God, portraying himself as a passive vessel through which divine thought and creativity flow. He acknowledges his inability to generate original thought or action, likening himself to a polished mirror or a fountain spout, and finds fulfillment only in God's all-encompassing presence.
Themes in this chapter
Spiritual Struggle and Doubt
The speaker's cry of discontent and sense of blankness reveals a struggle with his own agency and faith.
Nature as Divine Revelation
The imagery of the fountain spout and water bubbling up from darkness to sun suggests nature as a conduit for divine creativity.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Lord, hear my discontent: all blank I stand, A mirror polished by thy hand; Thy sun's beams flash and flame from me— I cannot help it: here I stand, there he!”
God, listen to my frustration: I am empty, like a mirror you've polished; your light shines through me, but I have no control over it.
The speaker feels like a passive reflector of divine glory.
“I cannot say 'I think—' I only stand upon the thought-well's brink: From darkness to the sun the water bubbles up— lift it in my cup.”
I cannot claim to originate thoughts; I merely stand at the edge of a well of ideas, where thoughts rise from darkness into light, and I can only receive them.
The speaker denies self-originating thought, emphasizing divine inspiration.
“Thou art the only one, the all in all.— Yet when my soul on thee doth call And thou dost answer out of everywhere, I in thy allness have my perfect share.”
You are the sole and complete reality; yet when I call to you and you respond from all directions, I fully participate in your wholeness.
The speaker finds fulfillment in God's omnipresence and response.