# XCVII: St. Paul explained — Verses on Various Occasions

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

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### Paul

Appears as a mysterious stranger who becomes the narrator's guest, later revealed to be St. Paul.

### Unknown

The dreamer who envies the prophets and saints and is visited by St. Paul.

## Key lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se/chapters/xcvii-st-paul
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/verses_on_various_occasions_se/chapters