C.S. Lewis's Top Ten Most Influential Books: #4

(You can find #9 -- the first in this series -- here.)

The Temple, by George Herbert – a collection of poems with a most unfortunate subtitle. I used two editions of The Temple, both of which I borrowed from the under-rated University of Sussex library. One was a facsimile of the original 1633 printing, from which I borrowed the title page you see here, published in the 1970’s. It was exact, even down to the dimensions of the book itself (and got me ufed to reading fentecef like thif.) The other was a modern edition, published in 1899 as part of the Library of Devotion series. Inside the cover is written, in that elegant old-fashioned script you never see anymore, “To Dear Alice – In memory of May 4th & of all the old times. May, 1900.” I love that.

C.S. Lewis was less than two years old when that was written, and Alice was no doubt old enough to be his mother. I assume that it was much later when he discovered The Temple and found it to be such a source of comfort and wisdom. C.S. Lewis described Herbert’s poetry as “delicious, earthy, homespun,” and much preferred him to that more eminent Metaphysical poet, John Donne (who happened to be a friend of his mother). In that judgment Lewis seems to have anticipated current trends.

It’s interesting that some of the literature I’ve seen on Herbert (most notable this Wikipedia entry) has managed to almost completely avoid the subject, object and inspiration of his poetry – that is of course, God. They’d much rather talk about “transcendental signifiers.” But really, applying such terms to Herbert’s poetry seems to be to be a ridiculous attempt to obfuscate what is really quite simple. That quality – simplicity -- is what first struck me about Herbert’s poems. They are straightforward acts of devotion, expressions of love for Herbert’s lord and master. But despite the overwhelming sense of Herbert’s powerful piety, and despite the fact that he was a scholar, public orator and Minister of Parliament before he was a priest, one never loses the sense of George Herbert as a simple man like you and I, just trying to use the gifts of God – his life, his talents – in the best way he knows how. To the soul that longs to know God ever more, these poems offer much sympathy and inspiration, and it’s easy to see what C.S. Lewis saw in them.

These days, though, have probably received their greatest influence from George Herbert in a phrase of his coinage: “His bark is worse than his bite,” which I suggest might be an apt statement to have applied to C.S. Lewis, whose booming voice could strike fear into the most hardened undergraduate.

I’ll conclude with two poems from The Temple which I just can’t resist sharing with you:

Redemption

Having been tenant long to a rich Lord,
        Not thriving, I resolved to be bold,
        And make a suit unto him, to afford
A new small-rented lease, and cancell th’old

In heaven at his manour I him sought:
        They told me there, that he was lately gone
        About some land, which he had dearly bought
Long since on earth, to take possession.

I straight return’d, and knowing his great birth,
        Sought him accordingly in great resorts;
        In cities, theatres, gardens, parks, and courts:
At length I heard a ragged noise and mirth

        Of theeves and murderers: there I him espied,
        Who straight, Your suit is granted, said, & died.

The World

Love built a stately house; where Fortune came,
And spinning phansies, she was heard to say,
That her fine cobwebs did support the frame,
Whereas they were supported by the same:
But Wisdome quickly swept them all away.

Then Pleasure came, who liking not the fashion,
Began to make Balcones, Terraces,
Till she had weakned all by alteration:
But rev’rend laws, and many a proclamation
Reformed all at length with menaces.

Then enter’d Sinne, and with that Sycomore,
Whose leaves first sheltred man from drought & dew,
Working and winding shyly evermore,
The inward walls and Sommers cleft and tore:
But Grace shor’d these, and cut that as it grew.

Then Sinne combin’d with Death in a firm band
To rase the building to the very floore:
Which they effected, none could them withstand.
But Love and Grace took Glorie by the hand,
And built a braver Palace than before.