Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward

Context

• Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward was written by John Donne as a personal reflection on the significance of Good Friday, the day commemorating Christ's crucifixion, during a journey he took on that day.

• The poem reflects Donne's deep religious introspection, grappling with his sense of unworthiness and the tension between worldly duties and spiritual obligations.

  

• Donne often explored themes of sin, redemption, and divine grace in his poetry, with this poem exemplifying his struggle to reconcile his spiritual failings with the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice.

Structure and Form

Form, Meter, and Rhyme

• The poem consists of 42 lines, written in a combination of iambic pentameter and irregular meter, reflecting the poem's meditative and unsettled tone.
• The rhyme scheme varies, but it generally follows an ABABCC pattern, with the couplets providing emphasis and closure to the thoughts expressed in each section.
• The variation in meter and rhyme contributes to the poem's reflective and penitential mood, mirroring the speaker's inner turmoil and spiritual contemplation.

Speaker and Setting

• The speaker is likely Donne himself, a penitent Christian who is reflecting on his spiritual state during a journey on Good Friday.
• The setting is both literal and metaphorical: the speaker is physically riding westward, but his thoughts and soul are directed eastward, towards the crucifixion of Christ, symbolizing his longing for spiritual redemption.

Poetic Devices

Metaphor:

• Donne uses the metaphor of the speaker's journey westward to symbolize the soul's deviation from spiritual righteousness, contrasting it with the eastward direction towards Christ's sacrifice.
• The speaker laments, "I am carried towards the West / This day, when my soul's form bends toward the East," illustrating the conflict between physical movement and spiritual focus.

Paradox:

• The poem employs paradox to capture the tension between the speaker's worldly obligations and his spiritual desires, highlighting the struggle between flesh and spirit.
• The speaker reflects, "Yet dare I almost be glad, I do not see / That spectacle of too much weight for me," expressing a paradoxical relief at being spared from witnessing Christ's suffering, yet feeling the burden of his sin.

Allusion:

• The poem alludes to Christian theology, particularly the concepts of original sin, redemption, and the Last Judgment, as the speaker contemplates his spiritual failings in light of Christ's crucifixion.
• The speaker considers, "Could I behold those hands which span the poles, / And tune all spheres at once, pierced with those holes?" alluding to Christ's omnipotence and the paradox of His suffering.

Imagery:

• Donne uses vivid imagery to convey the weight of sin and the power of divine grace, often contrasting the physical and the spiritual to emphasize the speaker's internal conflict.
• The speaker imagines, "If on these things I durst not look, durst I / Upon his miserable mother cast mine eye?" invoking the image of Mary at the crucifixion to underscore the emotional and spiritual burden of witnessing Christ's sacrifice.

Key Themes

Spiritual Conflict and Redemption

• The poem explores the theme of spiritual conflict, with the speaker torn between his worldly duties and his desire for redemption, reflecting on the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice.
• The speaker acknowledges, "I am carried towards the West / This day, when my soul's form bends toward the East," symbolizing his longing for spiritual redemption despite his physical journey away from it.

The Burden of Sin

• Donne emphasizes the burden of sin, portraying it as a weight that distances the speaker from God, yet one that he cannot bear to confront directly.
• The speaker reflects, "Yet dare I almost be glad, I do not see / That spectacle of too much weight for me," expressing the overwhelming nature of confronting his sinfulness.

The Paradox of Divine Grace

• The poem delves into the paradox of divine grace, highlighting the tension between human sinfulness and the possibility of redemption through Christ's sacrifice.
  • The speaker wonders, "Could I behold those hands which span the poles, / And tune all spheres at once, pierced with those holes?" marvelling at the paradox of Christ's divine power and His human suffering.

Similar Poems

• "Holy Sonnet XIV ('Batter my heart')": Like Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward, this poem explores themes of sin, repentance, and the struggle for spiritual redemption.
• "A Hymn to God the Father": Both poems address the speaker's acknowledgement of sin and the plea for divine forgiveness, emphasizing the tension between guilt and the hope for redemption.
• "Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness": This poem similarly reflects on the speaker's preparation for death and the hope for salvation, resonating with the themes of mortality and divine grace.

Line by Line Analysis

Lines 1-6

Let mans Soule be a Spheare, and then, in this,

The intelligence that moves, devotion is,

And as the other Spheares, by being growne

Subject to forraigne motion, lose their owne,

And being by others hurried every day,

Scarce in a yeare their naturall forme obey:

"Let mans Soule be a Spheare, and then, in this, / The intelligence that moves, devotion is,"

• The speaker compares the human soul to a celestial sphere, an image derived from the Ptolemaic model of the universe where each sphere is guided by an "intelligence."
• In this analogy, "devotion" acts as the guiding force or "intelligence" that moves the soul, suggesting that spiritual commitment is what directs and shapes the soul's course.

"And as the other Spheares, by being growne / Subject to forraigne motion, lose their owne,"

• The speaker notes that just as celestial spheres can be influenced by external forces ("forraigne motion"), causing them to deviate from their natural paths, so too can the human soul be led astray by external distractions.
• This line emphasizes the vulnerability of the soul to outside influences, which can distort its true nature and purpose.

"And being by others hurried every day, / Scarce in a yeare their naturall forme obey:"

• The soul, like the spheres, is constantly "hurried" or driven by these external forces, making it difficult to maintain its "natural form" or true spiritual alignment.
• This metaphor suggests that the soul's natural state of devotion is often disrupted by the distractions of daily life, causing it to lose its intended direction.

Lines 7-12

Pleasure or businesse, so, our Soules admit

For their first mover, and are whirld by it.

Hence is't, that I am carryed towards the West

This day, when my Soules forme bends toward the East.

There I should see a Sunne, by rising set,

And by that setting endlesse day beget;

"Pleasure or businesse, so, our Soules admit / For their first mover, and are whirld by it."

• The speaker identifies "pleasure or businesse" as the forces that often become the "first mover" of the soul, driving it away from its spiritual path.
• This line suggests that the distractions of worldly concerns can overpower the soul's natural inclination towards devotion, leading it astray.

"Hence is't, that I am carryed towards the West / This day, when my Soules forme bends toward the East."

• The speaker reflects on how he is physically travelling westward on Good Friday, symbolically moving away from the direction (the East) where Christ's crucifixion and resurrection occurred.
• This physical journey contrasts with the spiritual journey his soul should be making, towards the East, where he would contemplate the sacrifice of Christ.

"There I should see a Sunne, by rising set, / And by that setting endlesse day beget;"

• In the East, the speaker would witness the paradox of Christ's death ("by rising set") and resurrection, where the setting of the sun (Christ's death) leads to the creation of an "endless day" (eternal life).
• This imagery connects Christ to the sun, whose rising and setting symbolize death and resurrection, central themes of Good Friday.

Lines 13-18

But that Christ on this Crosse, did rise and fall,

Sinne had eternally benighted all.

Yet dare I'almost be glad, I do not see

That spectacle of too much weight for mee.

Who sees Gods face, that is selfe life, must dye;

What a death were it then to see God dye?

"But that Christ on this Crosse, did rise and fall, / Sinne had eternally benighted all."

• The speaker acknowledges that Christ's death and resurrection ("rise and fall") on the cross are what prevent humanity from being "eternally benighted", or plunged into eternal darkness by sin.
• This line emphasizes the significance of Christ's sacrifice as the only means of redeeming humanity from the consequences of sin.

"Yet dare I'almost be glad, I do not see / That spectacle of too much weight for mee."

• The speaker admits a sense of relief at not having to witness Christ's crucifixion directly, recognizing it as a sight of unbearable emotional and spiritual weight.
• This line conveys the overwhelming nature of Christ's suffering, which is too intense for the speaker to fully comprehend or bear.

"Who sees Gods face, that is selfe life, must dye; / What a death were it then to see God dye?"

• The speaker refers to the Biblical idea that seeing God's face is overwhelming to the point of death ("must dye") and extends this to contemplate the even greater horror of witnessing God (in the form of Christ) dying.
• This rhetorical question highlights the profound paradox and emotional weight of the crucifixion, where the divine, life-giving God experiences death.

Lines 19-24

It made his owne Lieutenant Nature shrinke,

It made his footstoole crack, and the Sunne winke.

Could I behold those hands which span the Poles,

And tune all spheares at once peirc'd with those holes?

Could I behold that endlesse height which is

Zenith to us, and our Antipodes,

"It made his owne Lieutenant Nature shrinke, / It made his footstoole crack, and the Sunne winke."

• The speaker describes how the natural world ("Lieutenant Nature") reacted to Christ's death, with nature itself shrinking in fear the earth ("footstoole") cracking, and even the sun darkening ("wink").
• This imagery emphasizes the cosmic impact of Christ's crucifixion, affecting all of creation profoundly and terrifyingly.

"Could I behold those hands which span the Poles, / And tune all spheares at once peirc'd with those holes?"

• The speaker wonders how he could bear to see Christ's hands, which created and controlled the universe ("span the Poles" and "tune all spheares"), being pierced by nails during the crucifixion.
• This line contrasts Christ's divine power with the human suffering he endured, emphasizing the inconceivable nature of such an event.

"Could I behold that endlesse height which is / Zenith to us, and our Antipodes,"

• The speaker reflects on the unimaginable grandeur of Christ, whose "endless height" is beyond human comprehension and is the zenith, or highest point, for all people, regardless of their location on earth ("Zenith to us, and our Antipodes").
• This line underscores the vastness of Christ's divinity and the paradox of that divinity being subjected to human suffering.

Lines 25-30

Humbled below us? or that blood which is

The seat of all our Soules, if not of his,

Made durt of dust, or that flesh which was worne

By God, for his apparell, rag'd, and torne?

If on these things I durst not looke, durst I

Upon his miserable mother cast mine eye,

"Humbled below us? or that blood which is / The seat of all our Soules, if not of his,"

• The speaker reflects on the humbling of Christ, who was "humbled below us" through his suffering and death, shedding blood that holds the power to redeem all souls.
• The phrase "seat of all our Soules" emphasizes the sanctity and significance of Christ's blood, which is vital for the salvation of humanity.

"Made durt of dust, or that flesh which was worne / By God, for his apparell, rag'd, and torne?"

• The speaker contemplates the degradation of Christ's body, which was reduced to "durt of dust" and subjected to brutal violence ("rag'd, and torne").
• The imagery of Christ's flesh, worn by God "for his apparell", underscores the profound mystery of the Incarnation, where divine majesty took on human frailty and suffered as a result.

"If on these things I durst not looke, durst I / Upon his miserable mother cast mine eye,"

• The speaker questions whether, if he dares not look upon Christ's suffering, he could bear to look upon Mary, Christ's mother, who also endured immense suffering.
• This line acknowledges the deep sorrow of Mary, "his miserable mother", who witnessed her son's crucifixion, adding another layer of emotional and spiritual weight.

Lines 31-36

Who was Gods partner here, and furnish'd thus

Halfe of that Sacrifice, which ransom'd us?

Though these things, as I ride, be from mine eye,

They'are present yet unto my memory,

For that looks towards them; and thou look'st towards mee,

O Saviour, as thou hang'st upon the tree;

"Who was Gods partner here, and furnish'd thus / Halfe of that Sacrifice, which ransom'd us?"

• The speaker recognizes Mary as "God's partner" in the work of salvation, as she provided the human nature of Christ, thereby contributing "Halfe of that Sacrifice".
• This acknowledgement of Mary's role highlights her crucial participation in the redemption of humanity through Christ's sacrifice.

"Though these things, as I ride, be from mine eye, / They'are present yet unto my memory,"

• While the speaker is physically distant from the events of the crucifixion ("from mine eye"), they remain vividly present in his memory.
• This line emphasizes the lasting impact of Christ's sacrifice, which continues to resonate deeply within the speaker's consciousness.

"For that looks towards them; and thou look'st towards mee, / O Saviour, as thou hang'st upon the tree;"

• The speaker acknowledges that while he is focused on the memory of Christ's suffering, Christ himself is gazing upon the speaker from the cross ("the tree").
• This mutual gaze creates a powerful connection between the speaker and Christ, emphasizing the personal relationship and the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice.

Lines 37-42

I turne my backe to thee, but to receive

Corrections, till thy mercies bid thee leave.

O thinke mee worth thine anger, punish mee,

Burne off my rusts, and my deformity,

Restore thine Image, so much, by thy grace,

That thou may'st know mee, and I'll turne my face.

"I turne my backe to thee, but to receive / Corrections, till thy mercies bid thee leave."

• The speaker metaphorically turns his back to Christ, not in rejection, but in submission, ready to receive the "Corrections" or punishments that Christ might impose.
• This act of turning away signifies repentance and the acceptance of divine discipline, with the hope that Christ's "mercies" will eventually bring relief.

"O thinke mee worth thine anger, punish mee, / Burne off my rusts, and my deformity,"

• The speaker pleads with Christ to deem him worthy of divine anger and punishment, seeing it as a necessary process to purify his soul.
• The metaphor of "Burne off my rusts, and my deformity" likens sin and spiritual decay to rust and deformity that needs to be burned away, symbolizing purification and transformation through divine fire.

"Restore thine Image, so much, by thy grace, / That thou may'st know mee, and I'll turne my face."

• The speaker asks Christ to restore the divine image within him, which has been tarnished by sin, through the power of grace.
• This restoration is essential for the speaker to be recognized by Christ ("that thou may'st know mee") and to confidently turn back towards Christ, fully reconciled.