Verses on Various Occasions · Chapter
XCVII: St. Paul explained
The narrator dreams of longing to have lived among the great prophets and saints of old, only to be visited by a stranger who proves to be St.
What happens
The narrator dreams of longing to have lived among the great prophets and saints of old, only to be visited by a stranger who proves to be St. Paul, revealing that the saint has been at his side all along.
Themes in this chapter
The Role of the Saint
The poem explores the narrator's desire to witness the deeds of prophets and saints, culminating in the personal encounter with St. Paul.
Faith and Doubt
The narrator's passionate complaint and initial envy of past saints give way to the quiet revelation of St. Paul's presence, suggesting a tension between longing and faith.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“I dream’d that, with a passionate complaint, I wish’d me born amid God’s deeds of might; And envied those who had the presence bright Of gifted Prophet and strong-hearted Saint, Whom my heart loves, and Fancy strives to paint.”
I dreamed that I bitterly wished I had lived during the time of God's great works, envying those who witnessed the prophets and saints whom I admire and try to imagine.
The narrator expresses a longing to have lived in biblical times among the saints.
“I turn’d, when straight a stranger met my sight, Came as my guest, and did awhile unite His lot with mine, and lived without restraint.”
I turned and immediately saw a stranger who came to stay with me, sharing my life freely for a time.
The mysterious stranger who is later revealed to be St. Paul enters the narrator's life.
“Then came a voice—'St. Paul is at thy side.'”
Then a voice said, 'St. Paul is beside you.'
The climactic revelation that the stranger is St. Paul.