Poetry · Chapter
To S. F. S. explained
The poem reflects on the nature of sorrow and joy, suggesting that sorrows often come together and that grief can be alleviated by shared experience.
What happens
The poem reflects on the nature of sorrow and joy, suggesting that sorrows often come together and that grief can be alleviated by shared experience. It encourages a perspective that focuses on the blessings and beauty in life, such as the roadside lily, rather than the pains and sharp stones, leading to a more upright and hopeful existence.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Purification
The poem discusses how sorrows gather and grief swages grief, portraying suffering as a shared experience that can lead to purification and a more upright life.
Nature as Divine Revelation
The roadside lily is presented as a symbol of blessing and freedom from fear, revealing divine generosity and the beauty that can be found in nature.
Key passages
“They say that lonely sorrows do not chance: More gently, I think, sorrows together go; A new one joins the funeral gliding slow With less of jar than when it breaks the dance.”
It is said that sorrows rarely come alone; I believe they travel together more gently. A new sorrow joins the slow procession of grief with less disruption than if it interrupted a joyful dance.
The speaker reflects on how sorrows accumulate and how their arrival is less jarring when they come in company.
“And were they quick to spy the flowers that blow, As quick to feel the sharp-edged stones that lance The foot that must walk naked in life’s way— Blest by the roadside lily, free from fear, Oftener than hurt by dash of flinty spear, They would walk upright, bold, and earnest-gay;”
If people were as quick to notice the blooming flowers as they are to feel the sharp stones that cut their bare feet on life's path, they would be more often blessed by the fearless roadside lily than hurt by a flinty spear. Then they would walk upright, bold, and earnestly joyful.
The speaker encourages a shift in focus from life's pains to its blessings, suggesting that this would lead to a more courageous and joyful way of living.