English Literature & Theology

 " On His Blindness" By John Milton  When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest He returning chide; "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?" I fondly ask. But patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies: God doth not need Either man's work or his own gifts; who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state Is kingly: thousands at his bidding speed And post o'er land and ocean without rest; They also serve who only stand and wait. About the poet,   John Milton (1608–1674) was an English poet and intellectual, best known for his epic poem "Paradise Lost."  He was a prominent figure in the 17th century and a major advocate for political and religious freedom. Milton's works include "Paradise Regained" and "Samson Agonistes,...

     “THE SUNNE RISING” By JOHN DONNE Busy old fool, unruly sun,                Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains call on us? Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?                Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide                Late school boys and sour prentices,          Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,          Call country ants to harvest offices, Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.   Thy beams, so reverend and strong                Why shouldst thou think? I could eclipse and cl...

  NIGHT OF THE SCORPION I    remember the night my mother was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours of steady rain had driven him to crawl beneath a sack of rice. Parting with his poison - flash of diabolic tail in the dark room - he risked the rain again. The peasants came like swarms of flies and buzzed the name of God a hundred times to paralyse the Evil One.   With candles and with lanterns throwing giant scorpion shadows on the mud-baked walls they searched for him: he was not found. They clicked their tongues. With every movement that the scorpion made his poison moved in Mother's blood, they said. May he sit still, they said May the sins of your previous birth be burned away tonight, they said. May your suffering decrease the misfortunes of your next birth, they said. May the sum of all evil balanced in this unreal world   Against the sum of good become diminished by your pain. May the poison purify your fl...

  "PIANO" BY D. H. LAWRENCE   Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me; Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings. In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide. So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past. About Poet   D. H. LAWRENCE •         David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienat...

  "WHEN THE SESSIONS OF SWEET SILENT THOUGHT" BY, WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE   When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste: Then can I drown an eye, unus'd to flow, For precious friends hid in death's dateless night, And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe, And moan th' expense of many a vanish'd sight; Then can I grieve at grievances foregone, And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan, Which I new pay as if not paid before. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restor'd, and sorrows end. About the poet William Shakespeare •         William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. •         He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and th...

  Let me not to the marriage of true minds        By William Shakespeare                                                                                                     Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments; love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come. Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom: If this be error and upo...

  Shakespeare's Sonnet 29, often referred to as "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes," explores themes of despair, self-worth, and the transformative power of love. The sonnet begins with the speaker expressing a sense of disgrace and isolation. He feels abandoned by both luck ("fortune") and the judgment of others ("men's eyes"). In this state of despair, the speaker wishes he possessed the qualities and successes that others have, and he envies those who are more highly regarded. However, a significant shift occurs in the poem's second part. The speaker's mood transforms when he contemplates the thought of a particular person, presumably a beloved. The memory or presence of this person becomes a source of solace and brings about a profound change in the speaker's emotional state. The sonnet concludes on a positive note, emphasizing that the speaker's change in fortune is due to the redemptive power of love. Desp...

    "The Pulley" is a metaphysical poem written by the 17th-century English poet George Herbert. It explores themes of human desire, God's providence, and the relationship between earthly and spiritual desires.   The poem begins with the idea that God, in His wisdom, decided to give various gifts to mankind. These gifts include strength, beauty, wisdom, honor, pleasure, and riches. However, God also withheld one gift, which is rest or contentment. The poem suggests that God did not give humans rest intentionally. Instead, He reserved it because if He had given it, humans would become complacent and forget about God. Herbert uses the metaphor of a "pulley" to convey this idea. A pulley is a simple machine that allows heavy objects to be lifted with less effort. In the poem, the idea is that God's withholding of rest is like a pulley that draws humanity toward Him. The lack of contentment on Earth compels people to seek spiritual fulfillment and ultimately...

    Sonnet 2 is one of 154 sonnets written by the English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. It is a procreation sonnet within the Fair Youth sequence. ‘When forty winters shall besiege thy brow’ by William Shakespeare addresses the need to have children as a way of guaranteeing one’s legacy and beauty. The speaker addresses the Fair Youth, informing him that in short order he’s going to lose his beauty and his face is going to look like a plowed field. Once this happens he’ll be ashamed and unable to maintain his reputation. The only remedy for this is if the young man has a child to whom he can bestow his beauty. Then, he will have a valid excuse for his wrinkles. Plus, it will be as though he is himself reborn. This poem is the second of Shakespeare’s procreation sonnets. Continuing where Sonnet 1 left off, the speaker continues to make an attempt to convince the young man to reproduce. The transience of beauty and the continuation of blood are important themes ...

  Avarice is a poem composed by George Herbert, who is a metaphysical poet. This poem is about money. Here, money means gold. The process whereby metal is transferred from its 'cave or grot' and hammered into coins and then there is a process by which money is hammered with man's face.   According to George Herbert money is given a face, a stamp, a right to command the labor of men and the production of the earth. We make money both physically and through our consent- we turn it into something that has value. When we possess money, we think that we are wealthy, but as Herbert points out in his ironic last line, the value of money is perpetual and our possession of it is ephemeral. Money in Herbert's vision is only valued as an expression of man's intentions- his earthly desires. Herbert of course believes that fallen man can never achieve any happiness- money is thus a source of woe and bane of bliss because it is created by man and not by God. Man, money and ...

  The poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns is a romantic and evocative piece of literature that compares the speaker's love to a beautiful, vibrant red rose.   The speaker begins the poem by comparing his love to a "red, red rose" and emphasizes its freshness and beauty. He declares that his love is as sweet as the melody of a "tuneless choir" and that it will endure until the seas run dry. Further the speaker states that his love is as constant as the sun, even in distant lands. He promises to return to his beloved, no matter how far he may roam.   The speaker expresses his willingness to go through hardships and challenges for the sake of his love. He uses the image of crossing "the seas between us" as a metaphor for enduring separation and distance. The poem's central theme is the enduring and timeless nature of the speaker's love, which is compared to the beauty and constancy of a red rose. It conveys a sense of deep affec...