Abstract
This paper examines George Herbert’s use of hieroglyphs in his religious and devotional poetry. The term “hieroglyph,” derived from the Greek for “sacred carving,” was commonly used and practised by seventeenth-century poets to convey hidden and sacred meanings. Herbert imbibed and made varied use of hieroglyphs in his poems, manifesting concepts of Bible and Christianity while exploring the deep notion of body and soul relationship. Through analysis of poems including “The Altar,” “Easter Wings,” “Church Monuments,” “The Bunch of Grapes,” and “Joseph’s Coat,” this paper demonstrates how Herbert’s use of hieroglyphs defines and crosschecks the values and ethics of Christianity, creating a strong web of sacred symbolism to ascertain the exact facts and truth of the Christian faith.
Keywords: George Herbert, hieroglyphs, pattern poetry, devotional poetry, Christianity, seventeenth-century poetry
Introduction
The word “hieroglyph” defines a figure, symbol or sign which has some hidden and unknown meaning. This term was very much popular in the seventeenth century and was obtained from Greek for “sacred carving.” Herbert, a seventeenth-century religious and devotional poet, imbibed and made a varied use of hieroglyphs in his poems. Joseph S. Summers has rightly mentioned that the use of hieroglyphs is the central and primary concern of Herbert’s creative impulse. The pattern poems are the exposition of Herbert’s “hieroglyphic disposition.”
Two patterns concerning pattern poetry are discussed: utile dulce and opsis (Westerweel 34). Herbert believed that the hieroglyph was practised “to be read rather than adored,” and it had the auspicious power to lead the reader return to God.
”The Altar”
In “The Altar,” Herbert magnifies the use of hieroglyphs which are religious in nature. The heart, made by God’s subtle creation, is compared with a stone, reciprocating the hieroglyph object of Christian belief. The hieroglyphs used in this poem — “stone,” “heart,” “cemented with tears,” “workman’s tool” — are related to hidden truth of yearning and devotional touch. Herbert by using these hieroglyphs wants to attain “thy bless” to “praise thy name."
"Easter Wings”
In “Easter Wings,” Herbert exposes the same concept through the archetypal use of hieroglyphs with different milieu. The first stanza is the merriment of felix culpa, defining the materialistic view of the creation of man and his entire purposeless journey. The poem being twice figured in descending and ascending shape not only correlates the journey of man but also defines the resurrection and rejuvenation of Christ.
”Church Monuments”
In “Church Monuments,” Herbert used religious hieroglyphs with a pleasant way. His entire bodily flesh was compared to “glass” which “holds the dust” that would be washed out by the gradual process of prayer to God. The poem is a description of memento mori, defining how the poet sits in a tomb to prepare for death when his body will lie “entomb.” According to the concept of Bible as defined by Herbert, the human body is the grouping of the elements of soil which will be blended and turn to soil after death.
”The Bunch of Grapes” and “Joseph’s Coat”
The Bunch of Grapes manages the image of the poet’s lost joy, the image of blessing and the image of the Christian source of joy. Herbert used the hieroglyph with a deeper sense of exaltation, indicating the problem of the absence of joy from the Christian life. In “Joseph’s Coat,” the poem depicts the joy and sorrow of Christian life, with God’s power acknowledged and manifested with truest belief.
Conclusion
Herbert’s use of hieroglyphs to define and crosscheck the values and ethics of Christianity is noteworthy. He successfully made a strong web of hieroglyph to ascertain the exact facts and truth of Christianity from its truest sense. From the true sense of poetic sensibility, he surrenders himself to the investigation of God and His paramount web, guided and overshadowed by the subtle use of hieroglyphs.
Works Cited
- Cesar, George. Herbert and the Seventeenth Century Religious Poets. p. 269.
- Elsky, Martin. “George Herbert’s Pattern Poems and the Maternity of Language: A New Approach to Renaissance Hieroglyphics.” ELH. 1983. pp. 245-60.
- Fish, Stanley E. “Self Consuming Artifacts: The Experience of Seventeenth Century Literature.” Ed. William P. Shaw. Peter Lang, 1991. pp. 221-36.
- Harman, Barbara L. “Costly Monuments: Representations of the Self in George Herbert’s Poetry.” Harvard University Press, 1982.
- Summers, Joseph H. “The Poem as Hieroglyph.” George Herbert and The Seventeenth Century Religious Poetry. 256.
- Westerweel, Bart. “Patterns and Patterning: A Study of Four Poems by George Herbert.” Vol. 41. Rodopi B.V., 1984.