# December explained — Poetry > Chapter companion for Poetry by George MacDonald. ## What happens A poetic meditation on weariness, divine longing, and the soul's journey toward union with God. The speaker wrestles with existential fatigue, yet finds solace in surrender to the divine will, anticipating a future transfiguration where creation itself will join in jubilation. Themes of loneliness, the necessity of willful obedience, and the hope of reunion with loved ones in God's eternal plan are woven throughout. ## Themes in this chapter ### Spiritual Struggle and Doubt The speaker openly wrestles with weariness, loneliness, and the feeling of separation from God, yet resolves to trust in divine will. ### Redemption and Grace The poem anticipates a future transformation where the soul is perfected and reunited with God and loved ones, emphasizing grace and hope. ### Love as Ultimate Strength Love is portrayed as the force that binds the soul to God and to others, culminating in the hope of perfect union. ## Character check-ins ### God Addressed as Father, Maker, and the source of life and will; the speaker seeks His presence and rests in His will. ### Jesus Christ Referenced as the ideal Son and Brother, the one through whom the speaker finds hope and connection to the Father. ### Unknown The first-person speaker who expresses weariness, longing, and a deep desire for divine union. ## Key lines > I am a little weary of my life⁠— Not thy life, blessed Father! Or the blood Too slowly laves the coral shores of thought, Or I am weary of weariness and strife. I am tired of my own existence, but not of you, Father. Perhaps my thoughts move too slowly, or I am simply exhausted by struggle itself. _The speaker distinguishes between weariness with earthly life and devotion to God._ > I will what thou will’st⁠—only keep me sure That thou art willing; call to me now and then. So, ceasing to enjoy, I shall endure With perfect patience⁠—willing beyond my ken I choose to align my will with yours—just reassure me that you are willing. Then, even without joy, I will endure patiently, willing beyond my understanding. _The speaker surrenders personal desire for divine will, seeking only the assurance of God's presence._ > All winged things came from the waters first; Airward still many a one from the water springs In dens and caves wind-loving things are nursed:⁠— I lie like unhatched bird, upfolded, dumb, While all the air is trembling with the hum Of songs and beating hearts and whirring wings, That call my slumbering life to wake to happy things. All flying creatures originated from water, and many still emerge from it; cave-dwellers are nurtured in darkness. I lie like an unhatched bird, silent and folded, while the world around me buzzes with life, calling me to awaken to joy. _The speaker uses natural imagery to express a sense of latent potential and longing for awakening._ > We all are lonely, Maker⁠—each a soul Shut in by itself, a sundered atom of thee. No two yet loved themselves into a whole; Even when we weep together we are two. Each of us is isolated, a fragment of you, O Creator. No two people have ever merged into one through love; even in shared grief, we remain separate. _The speaker reflects on the inherent loneliness of the human condition and the mystery of union._ > Go, my beloved children, live your life. Wounded, faint, bleeding, never yield the strife. Stunned, fallen-awake, arise, and fight again. Before you victory stands, with shining train Of hopes not credible until they are. Go, my dear children, and live fully. Even when hurt and exhausted, do not give up. When you fall, get up and keep fighting. Victory awaits you, with hopes so bright they seem unbelievable until they come true. _A direct exhortation to persevere through suffering, promising eventual triumph._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters/december - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters