Poetry · Chapter
The Beloved Disciple explained
The speaker reflects on the beloved disciple, recognizing him not by outward grandeur but by his quiet, prayerful demeanor and unearthly eyes.
What happens
The speaker reflects on the beloved disciple, recognizing him not by outward grandeur but by his quiet, prayerful demeanor and unearthly eyes. Though gentle, he is also a Boanerges—a son of thunder—who momentarily appears stern and terrible when confronting sin and death, yet his heart remains in harmony with the speaker, and his spirit is doubly precious for fulfilling his duty without hiding behind immortal Beauty.
Themes in this chapter
Spiritual Struggle and Doubt
The beloved disciple momentarily stands 'awful and swart,' confronting the pest of Sin and Death, showing the struggle between divine calling and the harsh reality of evil.
Love as Ultimate Strength
The disciple's heart makes 'answering signals' with the speaker, and his spirit is 'doubly dear' because he fulfills his duty without hiding behind immortal Beauty, suggesting love as a binding and strengthening force.
Characters to notice
- Saint John
The beloved disciple, recognized by his quiet-featured port and unearthly eyes, who has parted with his eyes in prayer and bears a vision and apocalypse.
- Jesus Christ
Implied as the one who unlocked the mighty treasure in Nature for the beloved disciple.
Key passages
“One do I see and twelve; but second there Methinks I know thee, thou beloved one; Not from thy nobler port, for there are none More quiet-featured”
I see one among the twelve, and I think I recognize you, the beloved disciple, not by your noble bearing, for many are quiet-featured.
The speaker identifies the beloved disciple by his humble and prayerful demeanor rather than outward grandeur.
“A Boanerges too! Upon my heart It lay a heavy hour: features like thine Should glow with other message than the shine Of the earth-burrowing levin”
You are also a son of thunder! For a heavy hour it weighed on my heart: your features should shine with a different message than the flash of lightning that burrows into the earth.
The beloved disciple is also a Boanerges, a son of thunder, whose stern aspect contrasts with his usual gentle nature.