Once in a saintly passion
I cried with desperate grief,
"O Lord, my heart is black with guile,
Of sinners I am chief."
Then stooped my guardian angel
And whispered from behind,
"Vanity, my little man,
You're nothing of the kind."
Once In A Saintly Passion
James Thomson
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Poem topics: angel, grief, heart, passion, vanity, black, guardian, I love you, I miss you, Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
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Write your comment about Once In A Saintly Passion poem by James Thomson
ian Collett: I looked at the poem for it's own message to me, and then I considered its meaning in the light of what I learned about the author ands tragic life. First, it seemed like someone with an elevated opinion of themselves (how bad instead of how good) and the Guardian Angel pricked that balloon with a reality that brought him down to earth.
Second, his cry to God in a moment of agnostic hope (he had become an atheist). This was like other disappointments, being judged as piously insincere instead of his angle understanding his need of care and hope but his cry rejected. In his early years he had a pious mother until she died. His father didn't provide support and he ended up in a home. A further loss was the death of a young girl he planned to marry. Was this the ultimate loss of hope - from God, who he rejected intellectually but in a moment of 'saintly passion' turned to God but heard the same message of loss (as judgment) from his 'Guardian angle'?
For me personally, this poem reveals that our self-condemnation can be an exaggeration and confirmation to reinforce our sense of hopelessness and giving up on hope. We do have intrinsic worth if not to ourselves and his Guardian Angel confronts him and us with the reality that seeing nothing deserving of in ourselves is a false identity.
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