"If, Lord, thy Love is strong"
If, Lord, Thy love for me is strong
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love’s whole possession I entreat,
Lord make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.
A sould in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.
As this which binds me unto thee,
What holds me from thee Lord so long,
What holds thee Lord so long from me?
O soul, what then desirest thou?
Lord I would see thee, who thus choose thee.
What fears can yet assail thee now?
All that I fear is but lose thee.
Love’s whole possession I entreat,
Lord make my soul thine own abode,
And I will build a nest so sweet
It may not be too poor for God.
A sould in God hidden from sin,
What more desires for thee remain,
Save but to love again,
And all on flame with love within,
Love on, and turn to love again.
- St Teresa Avila
Translated by by Arthur Symons from Spanish to English.
Translated by by Arthur Symons from Spanish to English.
Devotion to God is no longer a common occurrence in today's society.
During the time the poem was written, sixteen century Spain had become a place of worship and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. For many becoming a priest or a nun was a
great privilege and honor because everyone knew that great sacrifices had to be made in order
to dedicate your entire life to the service of God. All the priest and nuns
married a man, who in their eyes was seen as a path to eternal salvation and a person who represented more than life on earth. Through this poem we are able to get a glimpse
at what a life of devotion is through the eyes of a nun, Saint Teresa Avila. A
life of service to God was a life of prayer and worship. Worship to the man who
will come again and walk among us and
take those who have lived a life of belief and kindness to eternal salvation. But in order to achieve that,
we must live a life of grace and humbleness. A life of kindness and especially
one that displays love. Love not only to those around us but also to God, Jesus
Christ. The versions of "God" varies depending on religion, and to some
"God" represents a scientific particle of energy, but no matter what your religious
affiliation is or how strong your belief in science is, Saint Teresa invites us
to share our love and care about others. Life is short and even if we do not
choose to become priest or nuns, we can always live a of faith and kindness and
most importantly cherish our love with ourselves, people around us and God.
Great analysis! I like how you gave us a little information about that time in Spain. You explained the meaning of this poem very well. I also liked what you included at the end of your analysis about how Saint Teresa invites us to share our love and care not only to God but to the people around us. I really like your analysis. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGood analysis regarding the meaning of certain things in the poem and the history lesson you included. Y;our analysis would have benefited from talking about other things such as structure or literary devices in the poem. I did like the general idea you came up with about the poem but I felt it was missing a few things to make this a great analysis. Really good nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great analysis. I don't even know if I can think anything bad to say about it. I like how you included that no religious affiliation changed the meaning. Great job.
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