Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew backGuilty of dust and sin.But quick-ey’d Love, observing me grow slackFrom my first entrance in,Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioningIf I lack’d anything.

Love or God welcomes the guest but the guest shrinks back conscious of his unworthiness to be in God’s presence. God has been personified as

Love by the poet. Though written in the 17th century, the language sounds surprisingly modern.

The guest is made of base material and this makes him feel he is not worthy of being in God’s presence. He is also guilty of man’s first sin. The Bible says that man is made of “dust” and goes back to being “dust” after

death.

But the all-seeing God notices the

guest holding

back. After making the

initial entrance…

Love comes close to the guest and asks in a sweet voice…12Whether the guest needed anything,

Enjambment???

Voice-Any person

Voice feels that he is

sinner and unworthy of

LOVE.Love got near

the man to ask what is wrong with

you.

‘A guest,’ I answered, ‘worthy to be here.’Love said, ‘You shall be he.’‘I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,I cannot look on thee.’Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,‘Who made the eyes but I?’

The guest answers that what he lacks is the worthiness as

a guest to enter God’s abode.

Love says that Herbert is a

worthy guest.

The guest cannot believe that he,

unworthy that he is, can be

considered a worthy guest. He

is unkind and ungrateful.The guest

says that his eyes have

not the right to gaze on

God. God is superior.Attit

ude-Kind ,gentle ,sweet,gener

ous ,not judging and attentive.

God gently takes the guest’s hand and replies with a smile.

He reminds him that the guest’s eyes were fashioned by none other than God.

Rhetorical Question

A rhetorical question is asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on some point discussed when no real answer is expected. A

rhetorical question may have an obvious answer but the

questioner asks rhetorical questions to lay emphasis to the

point.

‘Truth Lord; but I have marred them; let my shameGo where it doth deserve.’‘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.

The guest agrees with that but he defiled them. For the shame that he carries…He deserves to go to Hell.

God reminds him that he had taken upon himself the sin of man and died on the cross to expiate that sin. Jesus dies on the cross to wash away the sin

of man.

The guest then

offers to serve at

God’s feast.

God forcefully tells him to sit and partake of the feast. So the guest sits down and eats.

Accepts God’s love.Reference to the last Supper.