# A Father to a Mother explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by George MacDonald.

## What happens

The poem comforts a mother grieving the loss of her child by drawing a parallel to God sending His own Son to earth, suggesting that death is a temporary separation and that the child will not be forgotten.

## Themes in this chapter

### Divine Fatherhood

God is portrayed as a father who sent His own child to earth, paralleling the human experience of losing a child.

### Suffering and Purification

The mother's sorrow is acknowledged, but the poem reframes it as temporary, with hope pointing toward reunion.

## Character check-ins

### God

Referenced as sending His own child to earth, highlighting divine fatherhood and sacrifice.

### Jesus Christ

Implied as God's own child who came down to earth, central to the poem's consolation.

### Hope

Personified and called upon to wait on Sorrow, embodying comfort and anticipation.

### Sorrow

Personified as a companion to Hope, representing the mother's grief.

## Key lines

> When God’s own child came down to earth, High heaven was very glad; The angels sang for holy mirth; Not God himself was sad!

When Jesus was born, heaven rejoiced, and even God was not sorrowful.

_Establishes the joyful context of Christ's incarnation as a model for understanding death._

> Shall we, when ours goes homeward, fret? Come, Hope, and wait on Sorrow! The little one will not forget; It’s only till to-morrow!

Why should we worry when our child dies? Let Hope attend to Grief; the child will remember us, and this separation is only temporary.

_Directly addresses the grieving mother, urging patience and faith in reunion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters/a-father-to-a-mother
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters