# Waiting: I Waited for the Master explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by George MacDonald.

## What happens

The speaker waits in darkness for the Master, enduring a long and anxious vigil through the day and into the evening. Despite the delay, the Master finally arrives at twilight, fulfilling the speaker's hope.

## Themes in this chapter

### Spiritual Struggle and Doubt

The speaker's anxious waiting in darkness and the delay of light reflect a spiritual trial of faith and patience.

### Redemption and Grace

The Master's eventual arrival at evening suggests a moment of grace and fulfillment after a period of waiting.

## Character check-ins

### The Master

The awaited figure who arrives at evening after the speaker's long vigil.

### Unknown

The speaker who waits faithfully for the Master through darkness and daylight.

## Key lines

> I waited for the Master In the darkness dumb; Light came fast and faster⁠— My light did not come!

I waited for the Master in silent darkness; though light came quickly all around, the light I hoped for did not arrive.

_The speaker contrasts the general arrival of daylight with the absence of the personal 'light' they seek._

> I waited all the daylight, All through noon’s hot flame: In the evening’s gray light, Lo, the Master came!

I waited through the entire day, enduring the heat of noon; then, in the gray light of evening, the Master finally appeared.

_The long wait from morning to evening emphasizes the testing of patience and the eventual reward._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters/waiting-i-waited-for-the-master
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_8_se/chapters