# My Madonna explained — Songs of a Sourdough

> Chapter companion for Songs of a Sourdough by Robert W. Service.

## What happens

The speaker transforms a woman he brought in from the street into a painting of the Madonna, hiding her past and selling the work to a church, where it is revered as a holy image.

## Key lines

> I haled me a woman from the street, Shameless, but, oh, so fair!

I brought a woman off the street, who was brazen yet beautiful.

_The speaker introduces the woman as a fallen figure, emphasizing her beauty despite her shame._

> I painted her as she might have been If the Worst had been the Best.

I depicted her as she could have been if her worst qualities were actually her best.

_The speaker idealizes the woman, transforming her into a pure, maternal figure._

> She hangs in the church of Saint Hilaire, Where you and all may see.

The painting now hangs in Saint Hilaire's church, on display for everyone.

_The artwork is now publicly venerated, completing the transformation from street woman to sacred icon._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_a_sourdough_se/chapters/my-madonna
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_a_sourdough_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_a_sourdough_se/chapters