# Lauds—Saturday explained — Verses on Various Occasions

> Chapter companion for Verses on Various Occasions by John Henry Newman.

## What happens

The poem celebrates the dawn as a time when light dispels darkness, sin, and guilt, and calls for praise to the Trinity.

## Themes in this chapter

### Sin and Redemption

The poem describes sin and guilt being dispelled by the light of dawn, symbolizing redemption.

### Faith and Doubt

The faithful confession of sins and praise to the Trinity reflects a stance of faith overcoming the spectres of doubt and guilt.

## Character check-ins

### Father, Son, and Paraclete

Addressed as the recipient of praise in the concluding doxology.

### Lord

Implied as the one before whom sins are confessed and from whom light comes.

## Key lines

> The dawn is sprinkled o’er the sky, / The day steals softly on; / Its darts are scatter’d far and nigh, / And all that fraudful is, shall fly / Before the brightening sun;

The morning light spreads across the sky, gently bringing the day, and everything deceitful will flee from the growing brightness.

_Describes the gradual arrival of dawn and its power to dispel falsehood._

> And of our crimes the tale complete, / Which bows us in Thy sight, / Up to the latest, they shall fleet, / Out-told by our full numbers sweet, / And melted by the light.

The full account of our sins, which humbles us before God, will vanish, overcome by our sweet hymns and dissolved by the light.

_Expresses the hope that confession and praise will erase sin._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se/chapters/cxxxviii-lauds-saturday
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se/chapters