Welcome to Brothers and Sisters, the weekly meetup for prayer* and community at Daily Kos. We put an asterisk on pray* to acknowledge that not everyone uses conventional religious language, but may want to share joys and concerns, or simply take solace in a meditative atmosphere. Anyone who comes in the spirit of mutual respect, warmth and healing is welcome.
I posted this a few weeks ago in the comments in this diary series, but I'll post it again, because we're going to pick this poem a part a little tonight. My favorite Lenten hymn, "A Hymn to God the Father" (Wilt thou forgive the sin, where I begun) by
The Very Rev. John Donne (1572-31 March 1631), Poet, Priest, Member of Parliament and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. ("The Very Rev." is the proper title for the Dean of an Anglican or Episcopal cathedral. The Dean is essentially the Rector of a cathedral congregation in those cathedrals which are also parish churches.) So after all that convoluted stuff, let's have a recording of the hymn, over the fold...
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Here is the hymn itself:
WILT Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done; 5
For I have more.
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sins their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow'd in a score? 10
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done;
For I have more.
I have a sin of fear, that when I've spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by Thyself that at my death Thy Son 15
Shall shine as He shines now and heretofore:
And having done that, Thou hast done;
I fear no more.
Donne is an interesting figure. He came from a Roman Catholic family, and in fact only took the Anglican Priesthood reluctantly, under the direct orders of King James I. Donne was a bit of a womanizer, spending the bulk of his inheritance on wine, women and song. In 1601 he married Anne More, with whom he had twelve children.
Donne's obsession with women and sex informs quite a bit of his poetry, and it informs A Hymn to God the Father, too. He was also an over-the-top punster, also evident in this poem. Let's have a look at it.
WILT Thou forgive that sin where I begun,
Which was my sin, though it were done before?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin through which I run,
And do run still, though still I do deplore?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done; 5
For I have more.
From the very beginning, Donne is equating Original Sin with his own regret over his youthful debauchery. As he ends the stanza, with a typical pun on his own name, and the idea that his confession is not yet complete...
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sins their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow'd in a score? 10
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done;
For I have more.
Now we are fully into
Real Househusbands of Anglicanism territory here. What he begins in the first stanza referencing Original Sin he makes very plain here: Donne has been a "bad boy" and takes responsibility for having "corrupted" others and having extraordinarily poor willpower. But Donne is not done...
I have a sin of fear, that when I've spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by Thyself that at my death Thy Son 15
Shall shine as He shines now and heretofore:
And having done that, Thou hast done;
I fear no more.
Here Donne really bares himself. Afraid of losing heaven, and yet in the same breath another pun on Son/sun, and begs assurance from God for his own salvation.
Now I am not a sexual prude, far from it. However, I have always been moved by this poem and its deeply personal, confessional nature. In Lent, it's always great for me to meditate on this poem and sing the hymn because ultimately it is hopeful. It is an acceptance of Grace and trust in God--whatever that may ultimately mean.
I think it takes a lot of guts for someone to turn their confession into a poem for all to see.
I wish all of my Christian brothers and sisters a useful and contemplative Lent, and I wish peace and love and health on my brothers and sisters of all faiths or none.
Peace,
Br. Commonmass