That George Herbert, the rascal....

I think I'm quite on my merry way to becoming obsessed with George Herbert. College is doing strange things to me. What with all these influences from peer pressure and classes about 17th-century literature, these tricksters are beguiling me out of my boring old prosaic ways and leaving instead a bit of a poetry nerd. Who saw that coming?

But then again, how could you not love this poem?

THE CHURCH-FLOORE.   

MARK you the floore ?  that square and speckled stone,
                    Which looks so firm and strong,
                                             Is Patience :

And th’ other black and grave, wherewith each one
                    Is checker’d all along,
                                             Humilitie :

The gentle rising, which on either hand
                    Leads to the Quire above,
                                             Is Confidence :

But the sweet cement, which in one sure band
                    Ties the whole frame, is Love
                                             And Charitie.

        Hither sometimes Sinne steals, and stains
        The marbles neat and curious veins :
But all is cleansed when the marble weeps.
        Sometimes Death, puffing at the doore,
        Blows all the dust about the floore :
But while he thinks to spoil the room, he sweeps.
        Blest be the Architect, whose art
        Could build so strong in a weak heart.

As you could probably tell, the different kinds of stone represent different virtues in the Christian life. Patience is "strong and firm" because it takes a lot of self-discipline to maintain. "Black and grave" humility doesn't have bright and self-satisfied thoughts about itself. I like Herbert's imagery here because it can also take on a double meaning in that he is also describing humility as the putting of your flesh to death. Confidence is the "gentle rising" of the soul out of its doubts towards communion with God. Finally, tying everything together is love, or charity. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, the Christian, with all his virtues, is nothing without love. 

The second half of the poem details the two threats to Christian virtue: Sin and death. Both try to obscure it. The former is defeated when the "marble weeps," or when we repent. As for death, instead of obscuring our sanctification, it makes it all the more prominent. It shows whether it is really genuine.

What I love about Herbert is how much theology he packs into his poetry, and how he does so in a really beautiful way. Reading it forces me to think deeply about God from a different perspective/format than just that of a theology book.

So yeah, it's official. Herbert has been admitted into the exclusive society of Sarah's Nerd Crushes. Right up there with Erasmus, Cicero, Jaques Barzun. Yup, it's great.