My love for literature started in primary school class five (Grade 5) when we use to recite long poems before we go for break. Our Class teacher was too strict but she thought us a lot in the art of poetry and I carried it along with me from class 5 to high school, where I did Elective Literature. We were supposed to learn 12 poems before our final exams and my favorite of all the poems was The Soul’s Errand. It had an impression on me during my days in High School and I think it should be part of the things that changed me series so I added it to our series. Below is a personal review and analysis of my Dearest poems.
Go, Soul, the body's guest,
Upon a thankless errand;
Fear not to touch the best;
The truth shall be thy warrant:
Go, since I needs must die,
And give the world the lie.
Say to the court, it glows
And shines like rotten wood;
Say to the church, it shows
What's good, and doth no good:
If church and court reply,
Then give them both the lie.
Tell potentates, they live
Acting by others' action;
Not loved unless they give,
Not strong but by a faction.
If potentates reply,
Give potentates the lie.
Tell men of high condition,
That manage the estate,
Their purpose is ambition,
Their practice only hate:
And if they once reply,
Then give them all the lie.
Tell them that brave it most,
They beg for more by spending,
Who, in their greatest cost,
Seek nothing but commending.
And if they make reply,
Then give them all the lie.
Tell zeal it wants devotion;
Tell love it is but lust;
Tell time it is but motion;
Tell flesh it is but dust:
And wish them not reply,
For thou must give the lie.
Tell age it daily wasteth;
Tell honour how it alters;
Tell beauty how she blasteth;
Tell favour how it falters:
And as they shall reply,
Give every one the lie.
Tell wit how much it wrangles
In tickle points of niceness;
Tell wisdom she entangles
Herself in overwiseness:
And when they do reply,
Straight give them both the lie.
Tell physic of her boldness;
Tell skill it is pretension;
Tell charity of coldness;
Tell law it is contention:
And as they do reply,
So give them still the lie.
Tell fortune of her blindness;
Tell nature of decay;
Tell friendship of unkindness;
Tell justice of delay:
And if they will reply,
Then give them all the lie.
Tell arts they have no soundness,
But vary by esteeming;
Tell schools they want profoundness,
And stand too much on seeming:
If arts and schools reply,
Give arts and schools the lie.
Tell faith it's fled the city;
Tell how the country erreth;
Tell manhood shakes off pity
And virtue least preferreth:
And if they do reply,
Spare not to give the lie.
So when thou hast, as I
Commanded thee, done blabbing—
Although to give the lie
Deserves no less than stabbing—
Stab at thee he that will,
No stab the soul can kill.
Written by Sir Walter Raleigh, an English poet and explorer, The Soul’s Errand also known as “The Lie” in some editions is a satirical poem of a dying man’s instruction to his soul to expose the lies and imperfections of his time. The poem was written about 1592 on the eve of the poet’s execution by James 1, whom he fell out of favour with, although he had enjoyed Queen Elizabeth’s patronage earlier. Still, the poem emerged from England during the Elizabethan period when social institutions and classes were well established.
It was a time when moral virtues and chivalry were held in high esteem. On the eve of his execution, Sir Walter in his solitude comes to realize that his society is made up of falsehood and superficial beliefs. He longs to relay this to the world, knowing he would be hanged the following day. But Walter has no opportunity again to tell the world about his new convictions. His flesh or physical body cannot carry out the risky assignment since it will soon be cut off from the earth, buried in the soil and eaten up by worms. Consequently, he finds himself in a situation where he has no option than to send his soul and he strongly believes that it is only the soul, the immortal, indestructible and abstract part of human that can tell the whole truth and liberate humanity from deception.
The poet exploits a rich amount of imageries and figures of speech to paint the vividness of his message.He mostly used personification to achieve this purpose.Words like\'shinning like rotten wood gives an oxymoronic image of the hypocrisy of court.
He comprehensively personified Truth,Time,Love and others.He gives each stanza an element of rythm and musicality through ryhmes.
Is it relevant is Modern Days?
This poem remains relevant since all society's institutions that were attacked are still mentioned in it, and they continue to perpetuate the wrong doing and do not want to hear the truth.
Personal take
Soul's errand had an impression on me because I naturally disagree with most people I have encounter with because of stance on Education, politics, religion and other sensitive parts of society as a result they see me as misfit but normally points the truth to them bluntly. So I thought Sir Walter Raleigh said I will always say to people.
SHARE!
0 comments:
Post a Comment