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One of the major themes in the religious poetry of the 17 th century is the struggle between serving G-d, and living a fulfilling and satisfying life. If one was a member of the clergy, they refrained from acting by their own will, and spent their lives trying to do right in the eyes of G-d. Two of the poets that used this struggle as a major theme in their poetry were George Herbert, and John Milton. In Herbert's The Collar, the poet writes from the point of view of a pious clergyman.
He begins by saying that he has had enough of the church, and that he would like to leave in order to live a normal life. He tells himself, My lines and life are free, free as the road, meaning, why should I sit here and serve G-d, when there are so many fun and wonderful things to be done in this lifetime. This clergyman goes on to convince himself that he should leave. He asks himself why he should have to be the one to serve G-d and not live life. If everyone else is doing it, why shouldnt he? By the end of the poem, the clergyman realizes what his priorities are, and returns to the G-d which he John Milton's Lycidas is about the meaning of existence.
The poem is divided into three movements. The first, is about the reward of poetry, the second is about spirituality, and the third is about dying and going to heaven. Lycidas is truly about the corrupted clergy in the The poem begins with a shepherd, or swain as he is called in the poem. In the first movement, Milton discusses the purpose of poetry. What is its purpose? What does the poet get in return for his or her beautiful words?
Could a persons time be spent better serving G-d, or does G-d appreciate the fact that he is a poet? The answer to this question is given by Apollo. He says on lines 78 - 84, Fame is no plant that grows on mortal soil, Set off to th world, nor in broad rumor lies, But lives and spreads aloft by those pure eyes, And perfect witness of all judging Jove; As he pronounces lastly on each deed, Of so much fame in heaven except thy meed. This means, that fame is really unimportant.
It is not necessary to be rewarded for the things you do in this world, because if you play your deck right, you will be rewarded in the world to come. This is the end of the first The next part of the poem is about spirituality. Milton uses the shepherd as a comparison to the clergy. He write about a shepherd leaving his flock, for a life of satisfaction.
Where is there meaning in the life of a simple shepherd? The answer to this question is given by St. Peter. What reck's it them? What they need? They are sped; And when they list, their lean and flashy songs Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched straw.
The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed, But soon with wind, and the rank mist they draw, Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread, Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw Daily devours apace, and nothing said. But that two handed engine at the door Stands ready to smite once, and smite no more. His answer is simple. Everyone is put on this earth for a reason.
Whether it is to be a clergyman, or a shepherd, everyone has their job to do. G-d does not discriminate based on the fact that people do different things. Without the shepherd, there would be no flock, the sheep would not be taken care of, the shearers would have no wool to shear. The problem arises when human beings become unhappy with the lot that they are given. St.
Peter is telling Lycidas not to worry about being a shepherd, because that is what he was In the last movement of the poem, we find Lycidas being rewarded for all of his efforts on earth. He is rewarded for being a shepherd by becoming the Good Shepherd, a metaphor for one of G-Ds right hand men. He is also rewarded for being a poet by becoming a poet of G-d, and the giver of all Despite their differences in length, the themes in Herbert's The Collar and Milton's Lycidas, are very similar in nature. The Collar, is about a clergyman who is unsure of his status with G-d, and is wondering whether he is doing the right thing or not. He is unsure if he should be living life to the fullest extent of his ability, or should he continue to serve the G-d which he has already devoted so much of his meager existence to. By the middle of the poem, the clergyman seems to have made up his mind to leave the service, but in the end he hears G-d calling him and he cannot do it.
Lycidas is similar to this. At the beginning of the poem, we find a shepherd who has questions. He questions the meaning of existence numerous times. He simply wants to know what meaning his life has in the eyes of the world, other people, and G-d.
The poem goes into much greater detail in order to answer these questions, but Lycidas wants recognition. What will he gain out of being a lowly shepherd his whole life? In the next life will he come to be rewarded, or will he serve the same fate as everyone else who spent their lives satisfying their desires and needs? Both the shepherd and the clergyman are in need of the same answers. They find them in different ways. Lycidas is given the answers, possibly because he is simply a shepherd and is probably not educated, the clergyman however, is not.
He is an educated man who is pondering the reasons of existence. He is not given the answers, he is expected to figure them out for himself. Lycidas is a poem of much greater detail, but the same meaning. Milton goes into each individual question with the intention of finding the answer. Herbert, asks the same question, but keeps his writing simple, almost mimicking the human thought process in doing so. The clergyman asks himself a question, and pines over the answer.
Lycidas also asks himself the question, but gets an answer. Another difference between the two poems are their endings. The Collar ends with the clergyman returning to the G-D which he so dearly loves, as a child who has temporarily become angry with a parent. He is still alive. At the end of Lycidas, the shepherd passes on, and his questions are answered through death. He knows what the clergyman only hopes.
He is rewarded for his time spent on earth, and is given what he deserves. The themes in Herbert's The Collar and Milton's Lycidas are similar in many ways. Both poems speak about ones relationship with G-D, and what is are the important factors which lead to a healthy and heaven worthy existence. By the end of each of these poems, we find our answer.
Either we are here to serve G-D, or G-D is here to serve us, and we should simply thank him along the way for all that he does for us. Both poems help us to understand what is important, in very different ways. One uses details and allegory, the other just simple logic, but both are poems which help take the theme of meaningful existence to new The Norton Anthology: English Literature Bibliography:
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