Poetry · Chapter
A Song in the Night: I Would I Were an Angel Strong explained
The speaker expresses a longing to be transformed into a powerful angel, a child, a lark, a cock, or even a glowworm, all of which have a direct connection to light and the divine.
What happens
The speaker expresses a longing to be transformed into a powerful angel, a child, a lark, a cock, or even a glowworm, all of which have a direct connection to light and the divine. The poem contrasts these vibrant, upward-reaching beings with the speaker's own sense of being a 'dead seed, dark and slow,' and concludes with a plea to the Father to make him grow.
Themes in this chapter
Longing for Immortality
The speaker yearns to be an angel, a child, or a creature of light, reflecting a desire for a transcendent, eternal state.
Divine Fatherhood
God is invoked as 'Father of larks and children,' the source of life and growth for all creation.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“I would I were an angel strong, An angel of the sun, hasting along!”
I wish I were a powerful angel, a sun-angel, hurrying forward.
The speaker's first wish is to be a radiant, swift angel.
“I am a dead seed, dark and slow: Father of larks and children, make me grow.”
I am like a lifeless seed, dark and sluggish; Father of larks and children, cause me to grow.
The speaker confesses his own spiritual deadness and begs the Father for renewal.