3 of 15

George Herbert 1593-1633

Born in Wales he was one of 10 children.
His father was a powerful member of parliament, a justice of the peace, and later a high sheriff.
His mother, Magdalen, was friend and patron of poets, writers, and artists. She also pushed her children to get a good education.
George Herbert graduated with a master’s degree from Cambridge at age 23.

4 of 15

George Herbert 1593-1633

5. Although he could have lived a much more lavish lifestyle, he was inexplicably drawn to the priesthood and served most of his life as a humble country priest.

6. Died at age 39 of consumption (tuberculosis).

7. He was not a published author in his lifetime but left the manuscript of a book of poetry to a friend and told him to publish it if he thought it would help somebody.

8. The poem was published in a book called The Temple. It was the last poem in the book.

9. He is now known as one of the Metaphysical Poets.

5 of 15

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,

2 Guilty of dust and sin.

3 But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack

4 From my first entrance in,

5 Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,

6 If I lacked anything.

7 A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:

8 Love said, You shall be he.

9 I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,

10 I cannot look on thee.

11 Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,

12 Who made the eyes but I?

13 Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame

14 Go where it doth deserve.

15 And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?

16 My dear, then I will serve.

17 You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat.

18 So I did sit and eat.

Mark the rhyme and meter. Note that this poem has two different meters.

6 of 15

1 Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back, A

2 Guilty of dust and sin. B

3 But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack A

4 From my first entrance in, B

5 Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning, C

6 If I lacked anything. C

7 A guest, I answered, worthy to be here: D

8 Love said, You shall be he. E

9 I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear, D

10 I cannot look on thee. E

11 Love took my hand, and smiling did reply, F

12 Who made the eyes but I? F

13 Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame G

14 Go where it doth deserve. H

15 And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame? G

16 My dear, then I will serve. H

17 You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat. I

18 So I did sit and eat. I

three sestets
each ending in a rhyming couplet
The couplets represent the love and caring of God

7 of 15

Love bade | me wel| come: yet | my soul | drew back,

Guilty | of dust | and sin.

Iambic pentameter

Iambic trimeter

The rhythm of the poem reflects the back and forth between the host (God) and the guest (speaker), as God invites the guest in, he draws back, feeling unworthy. At the end, the simple trimeter reflects how easy it is accept God’s grace and sit at the table with him.

8 of 15

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,

Guilty of dust and sin.

But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack �From my first entrance in,

Love is personified throughout the poem and represents divine love, God.

bade means to invite

The author creates a conceit, which is a fanciful extended metaphor between two unlikely things. In this case, God is an inn keeper and the host of a tavern that might be the church or heaven itself

Biblical Allusion

Song of Solomon 5:6

I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone.

Genesis 3:19

“…for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Both allusions show that the speaker feels unworthy to be in the presence of Love (God).

God is paying attention, is alert to the needs of the guest, and is accepting of him immediately.

slack means unwilling, withdrawn

9 of 15

Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,

If I lacked anything.

A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:

Love said, You shall be he.

When the guest withdraws, God moves nearer to him, kindly asking if he needs anything.

The speaker answers that another guest would be more worthy to be in Love’s presence.

Biblical Allusion

Psalm 23

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,� he refreshes my soul.�He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.�Even though I walk� through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,� for you are with me;�

This verse is most often read at Christian funerals, as a verse of comfort meaning that God will provide all that you need and you will lack nothing.

God tells him that he is the guest he’s been waiting for, letting him know once again, that he is worthy in God’s eyes.

10 of 15

I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,

I cannot look on thee.

Rhetorical Question combined with the choice of adjectives with the prefixes of “un” further drive home the guest’s feeling that he does not have the qualities needed to be a worthy guest. The question is rhetorical because he really doesn’t want Love to answer it for fear that he may really be unworthy.

The speaker feels so unworthy that he cannot bring himself to even look at Love (God).

The word choice is familiar, as though the speaker is longing for a friend that he has wronged or lost.

11 of 15

Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,

Who made the eyes but I?

Comforting words. Each time the speaker feels unworthy, Love reassures him that he is indeed the guest he is seeking.

Rhetorical Question and Pun: alludes to the human eye being part of God’s creation…surely he can look at God with the eyes God gave him

12 of 15

Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame

Go where it doth deserve.

The speaker seems to feel that he deserves damnation to hell for his sins. The plosive alliteration of doth deserve adds forcefulness to this last stand the speaker has in declaring his unworthiness to God.

The speaker agrees that God created his eyes. Use of the conjunction “but” sets up the speaker’s confession to God…that he has looked at things he shouldn’t have and misused his gift from God.

13 of 15

And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?

My dear, then I will serve.

You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat.

So I did sit and eat.

Rhetorical Question & Biblical Allusion: Christian belief that Christ died on the cross, absolving the sins of humanity.

Using a familiar voice, the speaker understands that Jesus was the sacrifice, but still insists on humbling himself. He wants to serve the meal.

Biblical Allusions: #1 Reference to the Last Supper (sit, taste) where the disciples shared a final meal with Jesus before his death (this is the body of Christ, broken for you…communion). Also, the fact that Love (God) insists on serving the speaker instead of being served alludes to Jesus when he insisted on washing the disciples’ feet.

Sibilance reflects the soft tone of the speaker at the end when he finally sits down to eat, feeling as though he truly belongs.

14 of 15

Write a paragraph.

Expand an idea

15 of 15

both humble and exalted
The speaker depicts his encounter with God as a meeting with a friendly innkeeper, who, spotting the speaker dithering at the door and cheerily asks him if he "lacks anything."
These are the words with which a 17th-century bartender would ask your order, along the lines of "What'll you have?", and they set up a gently funny backdrop for a deeply felt poem.
For the inn here is a metaphor either for a church where the speaker can receive communion, or—even more dramatically—for heaven itself, the place where, as the speaker believes, souls will one day "feast" in (and on) the presence of God.
The speaker's juxtaposition of a friendly dinner table with the very halls of heaven quietly makes the point that ordinary life (and ordinary mortals) are the works of God, too

setting