Despair - A False Comfort of Ceasing to Struggle! Or, Is Grieving a Healing?

G.M. Hopkins' Carrion Comfort is a sonnet on devastation and the dark nighttime of his soul. Here, as the statute title indicates, Despair is a comfort, yet it is also carrion, a putrefying corpse.

In the first quatrain, the poet is determined not to abandon himself to Despair that would kill him. Instead, he would transport on his wrestle with God. He declines to shout "I can no more" and bidding up his volition to trust and to wish for daybreak. He

"Can something, hope, wishing twenty-four hours come, not take not to be".

In the 2nd quatrain, the poet computer addresses the "terrible" one, who is either personified Despair, or God, who have sent the Despair. The poet is described as being on the ground, roughly rocked by the powerful "wring-world correct foot" of Christ, pictured as a king of beasts with dark devouring eyes. Mark Hopkins adverts his tormentor's breath which, like a tempest, have buffeted him in his despairing effort to flee.

In the six the wind from which the poet was fleeing goes the wind that offprints the husk from the grain which is to be preserved. This proposes that the fearfulness and desperation he have got experienced have been sent by Supreme Being for his purification. Mark Hopkins asseverates that since he have accepted his battle and torment by kissing "the rod" of God, his bosom have also lapped strength and purloined joyousness from his faith, and would at modern times laughter and rejoice.

In the concluding three the poet is bewildered as to what haps when Jesus or Supreme Being used his Godhead strength against him. He ruefully inquires who is cheered: Supreme Being the hero, the great wrestler, or Mark Hopkins that fought God? Was it one or both? The inquiry stays unanswered.

(The inquiry it raises in the heads of readers is, then to whom should his bosom adhere: to Jesus or himself in his battles to defeat an wicked (Despair) sent by Christ? Despair offerings the false comfortableness of ceasing to struggle, to ease oneself by abandoning duty towards the self. Perhaps it is this 1 obstruction that problems all the searchers of Truth – in not holding oneself solely responsible for the ailments 1 confronts in life, but instead, seeking safety in blame, in making others responsible, or even Supreme Being Himself).

The poet shouts "my God!" as he is overwhelmed with the extraordinary wonderment and enigma of his Godhead opponent.

In exploring his manner to Supreme Being during some time period of darkness and torment, he goes aware of the hurting as a procedure of catharsis and advancement toward God. Evil should be accepted as measurement of 1s trial, as also of strength, and only in the overcoming or otherwise, of that wicked through struggle, make we measure up as masters to come in into the kingdom of divinity. And, since it is sent by Supreme Being Himself, the devil, as it were, is not opposed to the volition of God. Rather, it is a complimentary powerfulness in contradiction.

Carrion Comfort is singular in its usage of the Sprung Rhythm, which is a meter based on the numeration of emphasizes (stress rhythm) instead of the numeration of syllables (running rhythm). Each line of the verse form incorporates six beats, with plentiful initial rhyme and chemical compound words.

Rocks That Won't Budge

I was very young when You gave me the talent for writing, Father. I know You expect Your children to use the talents You give to them. But in the midst of my pain, I've had no desire to write. I have turned my back on Your gift and wallowed in self-pity. My mantra has been "Why me?"

Recently, I've come to realize You're saying, "Why not you, Child? Aren't you running a race? Aren't You in training for eternity with Me? People in training must expect life to be harder. How can you expect to win the race if you wimp out during the training? Olympic contenders don't have time for self-pity! They want to win, so they endure injury, fatigue, isolation, betrayal, and whatever or whoever tries to derail them."

I always end up back at this point, don't I? I waste time complaining, massaging my ego, and believing my own excuses for quitting. It seems to follow a time of comparing myself to those around me. The detail I overlook is that I am Yours. I am expected to be in the world, but not of the world. As a soldier in Your army, I cannot compare myself to civilians. Why haven't I seen this before? Perhaps I was not equipped to receive this revelation until now.

Oh, Father. Scripture after scripture has been going through my consciousness and I'm ashamed of my self-absorption. "To whom much is given, much is required." You expect me to invest my talent, not bury it out of fear! You have me in training for a higher purpose.

You tell me, in Hebrews 12, I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and I must lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares me [self-absorption, perhaps?] and run with endurance the race that You have set before me. I am to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, not to those who seem to have an easier life than I.

It's as if I heard You tell me to push rock after rock. Obediently, I pushed and pushed, but could not budge any of the larger ones. Finally, I succumbed to self-pity and exhaustion, and complained I could not move these rocks. And You said, "Child, I never told you to move the rocks. I told you to push the rocks. And look at all the strength you've built. Now you're ready to be of service to Me."

Oh, Father. I'm ready! I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!