Introduction: “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
“Easter Wings” by George Herbert first appeared in 1633 as part of his posthumous poetry collection, The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations. The poem is renowned not only for its spiritual depth but also for its distinctive shape, which visually resembles wings, embodying the theme of resurrection and spiritual ascent. Herbert meditates on human fallenness and divine redemption, reflecting on the biblical fall of man and the personal experience of suffering, using compact, wing-like stanzas to symbolize the rise from sin and sorrow to grace and glory. The poem’s popularity lies in its innovative concrete form, its lyrical beauty, and its profound theological resonance. Phrases like “O let me rise / As larks, harmoniously” and “if I imp my wing on thine, / Affliction shall advance the flight in me” show how Herbert envisions human suffering as a means to ascend spiritually through divine union. These metaphysical conceits and the interplay of form and meaning have made “Easter Wings” a beloved and enduring piece in English devotional poetry.
Text: “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same,
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore:
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously,
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame.
Thou didst so punish sinne,
That I became
Most thinne.
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie:
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
Annotations: “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
| Line from Poem | Simple Meaning (Annotation) | Literary Devices |
| Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store, | God created man full of blessings and abundance. | 🕊️ Allusion, ✨ Archaic Language, 📜 Biblical Reference |
| Though foolishly he lost the same, | Man foolishly lost those blessings (like Adam). | 🌀 Irony, 📜 Biblical Allusion |
| Decaying more and more, | He kept falling deeper into sin. | ⏬ Repetition, 🎭 Tone Shift |
| Till he became | Until he reached his lowest point. | ⌛ Enjambment, 🎭 Tone Shift |
| Most poore: | Man became completely spiritually poor. | 💔 Contrast, 🪙 Emphasis on Deprivation |
| With thee | But with God… | 🙏 Devotional Tone, ⌛ Transition |
| O let me rise | Please let me rise again with You. | 🕊️ Resurrection Motif, 🙏 Prayer |
| As larks, harmoniously, | Like birds rising and singing sweetly. | 🐦 Simile, 🎶 Sound Imagery |
| And sing this day thy victories: | I want to celebrate Your victory (Easter). | ✝️ Christian Symbolism, 🎶 Musical Tone |
| Then shall the fall further the flight in me. | My fall will help me rise even higher. | 🔁 Paradox, 🔃 Wordplay (fall vs flight) |
| My tender age in sorrow did beginne | I began life in sadness and grief. | 💔 Pathos, 🧒 Personal Tone |
| And still with sicknesses and shame. | I continued to suffer physically and emotionally. | 😷 Alliteration, 💭 Confessional Tone |
| Thou didst so punish sinne, | You punished sin strongly. | ⚖️ Divine Judgment, ✝️ Biblical Tone |
| That I became | So much so that I became… | ⌛ Enjambment, ⚖️ Cause & Effect |
| Most thinne. | Weak and empty due to suffering. | 🍂 Fragility Metaphor, 💭 Emphasis |
| With thee | But with You, Lord… | 🙏 Spiritual Support |
| Let me combine, | Let me join with You. | 🤝 Union Metaphor, 🙏 Supplication |
| And feel thy victorie: | Let me experience Your triumph over sin. | ✝️ Resurrection Symbolism, 💥 Empowerment |
| For, if I imp my wing on thine, | If I attach my broken wing to Yours… | 🐦 Metaphor (imp = graft), 🔧 Restoration Image |
| Affliction shall advance the flight in me. | My suffering will help me rise even more. | 🔁 Paradox, 💫 Redemptive Imagery |
📘 Literary Device Key (Symbols):
- 🕊️ Allusion – Reference to Creation or biblical events
- ✨ Archaic Language – Use of old spellings like “createdst”
- 📜 Biblical Reference – Indirect/direct use of Scripture
- 🌀 Irony – Opposite of expected outcome (e.g., fall leads to flight)
- ⏬ Repetition – Pattern in structure or meaning
- 🎭 Tone Shift – Emotional change in the speaker’s journey
- 💔 Contrast/Pathos – Highlighting emotional or spiritual lows
- 🪙 Emphasis on Deprivation – Stark poverty imagery
- 🙏 Devotional Tone – Prayer-like appeal to God
- 🐦 Simile/Metaphor (Birds) – Symbol of spiritual ascent
- 🎶 Sound Imagery – Musical or lyrical beauty
- ✝️ Christian Symbolism – Cross, resurrection, sin, victory
- 🔁 Paradox – Apparent contradiction with deeper truth
- 🔃 Wordplay – Clever use of dual meanings (e.g., fall/flight)
- 🧒 Personal Tone – Reference to early life or self
- 😷 Alliteration – Repetition of consonant sounds
- 💭 Confessional Tone – Intimate sharing of guilt or grief
- ⚖️ Divine Judgment – God’s justice in punishing sin
- 🍂 Fragility Metaphor – Thinness as spiritual weakness
- 🤝 Union Metaphor – Joining with divine strength
- 💥 Empowerment – Gaining strength through faith
- 🔧 Restoration Image – Repairing or healing metaphor
- 💫 Redemptive Imagery – Transformation through suffering
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
| 📘 Device | 🧾 Definition | ✍️ Example | 💡 Explanation |
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds | “sicknesses and shame” | Creates musical rhythm and emphasizes emotional weight |
| Allusion | Indirect reference to a known work or story | “Lord, who createdst man…” | Refers to biblical Creation story (Genesis) |
| Anaphora | Repetition of words at the beginning of lines | “With thee… With thee…” | Emphasizes reliance on God and spiritual renewal |
| Archaic Language | Outdated or old-fashioned language | “createdst,” “didst,” “thinne” | Reflects 17th-century religious tone and poetic tradition |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds | “sing this day thy victories” | Enhances the musical quality of the line |
| Biblical Reference | A direct or symbolic mention of Scripture | “punish sinne” | Alludes to Christian theology of sin and redemption |
| Concrete Poetry | Poem’s shape reflects its subject | Poem shaped like wings | Visual form echoes the theme of rising and flying |
| Contrast | Opposition between two ideas | “fall” vs. “flight” | Shows how downfall can lead to spiritual elevation |
| Enjambment | A sentence that runs over to the next line | “Till he became / Most poore:” | Forces a pause and emphasizes emotional descent |
| Imagery | Descriptive language appealing to senses | “larks, harmoniously” | Creates vivid image of joyful, upward movement |
| Irony | A contradiction between expectation and reality | “Then shall the fall further the flight in me” | Suggests loss or suffering leads to spiritual gain |
| Metaphor | A direct comparison without “like” or “as” | “imp my wing on thine” | Compares the soul to a bird whose wing is grafted to God’s |
| Paradox | A seemingly contradictory statement that holds truth | “Affliction shall advance the flight in me” | Suffering leads to personal or spiritual uplift |
| Personification | Giving human traits to non-human things | “sing this day thy victories” | Victories are treated as having celebratory sound |
| Prayer Tone | Language expressing a plea or devotion to God | “O let me rise” | The speaker is appealing directly to God for help |
| Repetition | Reusing words or phrases for emphasis | “rise… flight… rise… flight” | Reinforces key spiritual themes of resurrection |
| Resurrection Imagery | Visual or verbal symbols of rebirth or rising | “let me rise… sing this day thy victories” | Tied to Easter and rising from sin to grace |
| Shape Poetry | Poem structured to represent a physical object | Whole poem looks like wings | The wing-shape mirrors the theme of flight/resurrection |
| Simile | A comparison using “like” or “as” | “As larks, harmoniously” | Compares spiritual rise to the flight of joyful birds |
| Tone Shift | A change in mood or tone within the poem | From despair (“Most poore”) to hope (“let me rise”) | Marks the speaker’s movement from suffering to salvation |
Themes: “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
🕊️Redemption through Suffering: Herbert emphasizes that spiritual ascent is only possible through a descent into suffering, echoing the Christian belief in redemption through Christ’s crucifixion. The poem physically narrows in the middle to reflect the speaker’s lowest point, both spiritually and physically—”Most poore / With thee” (lines 7–8). The contraction in form and content symbolizes human fallenness and affliction, but it’s precisely from this “decaying” state that the speaker hopes to “imp” his wings and rise. This visual and verbal tightening mirrors the theological concept that through humility and suffering, one is prepared for divine grace and elevation.
🦅 Spiritual Flight and Aspiration: The recurring imagery of wings throughout the poem signifies the soul’s longing to ascend towards God. The speaker desires to “imp my wing on thine,” a reference to the practice of grafting feathers to restore a bird’s flight, symbolizing divine assistance in spiritual ascent. The wish to “rise / As larks, harmoniously” (lines 15–16) expresses the speaker’s yearning to join in heavenly praise, suggesting that true elevation comes only when the soul is aligned with God’s will. The shape of the poem—resembling wings—visually reinforces this theme of flight, aspiration, and transcendence.
🌱 Fall and Regeneration: Herbert uses the cyclical pattern of fall and rebirth, akin to the Christian narrative of the Fall and Resurrection, to reflect personal and collective spiritual experience. Phrases like “With thee / O let me rise” (lines 7–8) juxtapose descent and ascent, capturing the regenerative power of divine grace. The fall of man is not the end but the beginning of spiritual growth, as seen in Adam’s “foolishnesse” which leads to the speaker’s own “decaying,” ultimately prompting a cry for renewal. The poem’s shape—a dip and rise—also mirrors this regenerative arc, making the physical structure a metaphor for spiritual recovery.
✝️ Union with Christ: Throughout the poem, the speaker expresses a desire to be united with Christ, both in suffering and in resurrection. “In thee / Let me combine” (lines 17–18) is a plea for mystical union, reflecting the Christian ideal of being one with Christ in both death and eternal life. The poem mirrors Christ’s Passion—downward movement in form as crucifixion, upward movement as resurrection—suggesting that the believer’s journey should mirror Christ’s. By asking to “combine” with Christ, the speaker seeks not just salvation, but participation in the divine life, portraying a deeply intimate and transformative faith.
Literary Theories and “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
| 🧠 Literary Theory | 📜 Application to “Easter Wings” | 🔍 Poem References & Interpretation |
| ✝️ Theological Criticism | Explores the poem’s deep engagement with Christian doctrines of sin, grace, and redemption. | The poem is essentially a prayer that mirrors the structure of the Christian narrative: Fall and Resurrection. Phrases like “Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store” and “with thee / O let me rise” (lines 1, 7–8) reflect mankind’s fall and hopeful redemption through divine mercy. |
| 🧬 Formalism / New Criticism | Focuses on the poem’s structure, form, and language as central to its meaning. | The shape of the poem (resembling wings) reflects its theme of ascent after descent. The narrowing and widening of lines mirror the speaker’s spiritual fall and rise. Devices such as alliteration (“decaying / O let me rise”) and paradox enhance the poetic unity. |
| 🕊️ Metaphysical Poetics | Places the poem within the 17th-century metaphysical tradition, emphasizing wit, conceit, and spiritual themes. | Herbert uses the extended metaphor of wings to link spiritual aspiration to physical imagery. The idea of “imp[ing] my wing on thine” is a metaphysical conceit that unites human limitation with divine potential. |
| 💭 Reader-Response Criticism | Emphasizes the individual reader’s interpretation and emotional response to the poem’s spiritual journey. | Each reader might resonate differently with the speaker’s fall and hope for spiritual elevation. The poem invites personal reflection, especially with lines like “Let me combine / And feel thy victorie” (lines 17–18), prompting a sense of shared spiritual longing. |
Critical Questions about “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
✝️ 1. How does Herbert’s use of shape poetry enhance the spiritual themes of “Easter Wings”?
Herbert’s visual form is not mere ornamentation—it’s integral to the poem’s meaning. The shape of “Easter Wings” resembles a pair of wings when printed sideways, directly echoing the poem’s central metaphor of spiritual flight and resurrection. This concrete poetry technique reinforces the movement from “poore” to “rise,” and from “decaying” to “victorie.” As the lines narrow in the center—”Most poore / With thee”—they visually depict the speaker’s lowest point, symbolizing both personal sin and the collective fall of mankind. The expansion of the lines thereafter parallels the hope for divine elevation, making the poem not just a meditation on redemption but a visual embodiment of it.
🪶 2. What is the significance of the metaphor “imp my wing on thine” in the context of spiritual renewal?
The phrase “imp my wing on thine” (line 6) is a powerful metaphor drawn from falconry, where damaged wings are mended by attaching feathers from another bird. This conceit suggests that the speaker’s own spiritual ascent is impossible without divine intervention—he must be supported by Christ’s strength. The metaphor portrays human dependence on God not as weakness, but as the means of transformation and flight. By asking to “imp” his broken soul to God’s perfection, the speaker acknowledges the insufficiency of self-reliance and the necessity of grace for renewal. It transforms divine aid into something tactile, tender, and necessary for spiritual progress.
🌱 3. In what ways does “Easter Wings” reflect the Christian doctrine of the Fall and Resurrection?
The poem mirrors the theological arc of humanity’s fall through sin and its redemption through Christ. It opens with “Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,” indicating an original state of divine blessing. But then, due to “the foolishnesse of man,” humanity “became / Most poore.” This descent echoes the Biblical Fall, where Adam’s disobedience leads to suffering and separation from God. However, Herbert doesn’t end in despair; rather, he seeks resurrection: “With thee / O let me rise.” The poem’s symmetry reflects this theological rhythm—falling into sin and being raised in Christ’s victory, as in “Let me combine / And feel thy victorie” (lines 17–18), embodying Easter’s promise of renewal.
🎶 4. How does Herbert use sound and musicality to enhance the emotional and spiritual resonance of the poem?
Herbert’s poem is rich with rhythmic variation and sonic patterns that heighten its emotional depth. His use of iambic meter varies with the line length, compressing and expanding the rhythm in a way that mirrors the poem’s visual and spiritual journey. The phrase “As larks, harmoniously” (line 16) is not only a metaphor for joyful spiritual ascent but also invokes a musical image. The lark’s song is symbolic of Easter morning and divine praise. Throughout the poem, the balance of alliteration, consonance, and varying meter mirrors both the solemnity of suffering and the lift of redemption, creating a hymn-like cadence that deepens the meditative experience for the reader.
Literary Works Similar to “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
- ✝️ “The Collar” by George Herbert
Similarity: Portrays the turbulence of spiritual rebellion and eventual submission to God, echoing Easter Wings‘ journey from despair to divine connection. - 💀 “Holy Sonnet X (Death, be not proud)” by John Donne
Similarity: Confronts mortality with defiant faith in eternal life, paralleling Herbert’s theme of resurrection and spiritual victory. - 🌌 “The World” by Henry Vaughan
Similarity: Reflects on the soul’s detachment from worldly vanity and its longing for divine truth, aligning with Herbert’s vision of spiritual ascent. - ❤️ “Love (III)” by George Herbert
Similarity: A tender dialogue between the soul and divine Love, mirroring the humility, grace, and personal devotion found in Easter Wings.
Representative Quotations of “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
| 📜 Quotation with Symbol | 🔍 Context | 🧠 Theoretical Perspective |
| 🌍 “Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store” | Begins with man’s original perfection in Eden, setting the stage for the fall. | Theological Criticism – Highlights divine creation and human prosperity before sin. |
| 🍂 “Decaying more and more, / Till he became / Most poore” | Illustrates humanity’s fall from grace, growing more spiritually impoverished. | Theological Criticism – Echoes the doctrine of Original Sin. |
| 🕊️ “With thee / O let me rise” | A hopeful plea to rise with Christ after the fall. | Reader-Response – Invites the reader to share in the emotional yearning for salvation. |
| ⏳ “And fell even at noon” | A metaphor for a sharp spiritual fall at the height of one’s life or success. | Formalism – The sudden descent emphasizes the theme of unexpected decline. |
| 🪞 “That I became / Most thinne” | The speaker reflects on his own spiritual and physical emptiness. | Metaphysical Poetics – The poem’s form literally “thins” here, echoing content. |
| ✝️ “Let me combine / And feel thy victorie” | Expresses the desire to join in Christ’s resurrection and triumph. | Theological Criticism – Suggests a mystical union with the risen Christ. |
| 🌱 “Affliction shall advance the flight in me” | Ends with the paradox that suffering enables spiritual ascent. | Theological / Formalism – Suggests growth and elevation through suffering. |
| 🎶 “As larks, harmoniously” | A lyrical comparison to the joyful ascent of birdsong. | Metaphysical / Musical Imagery – Expresses spiritual elevation through worship. |
| 🪶 “Imp my wing on thine” | A request to graft one’s broken spirit onto divine strength. | Metaphysical Conceit – A vivid metaphor from falconry for divine empowerment. |
| 🔄 “That if I imp my wing on thine, / Affliction shall advance the flight in me” | Concludes with redemptive paradox: affliction as a path to divine flight. | New Criticism – Reveals unity in paradox, form, and spiritual message. |
Suggested Readings: “Easter Wings” by George Herbert
- Brown, Cedric C., and W. P. Ingoldsby. “George Herbert’s” Easter-Wings”.” The Huntington Library Quarterly (1972): 131-142.
- Brown, C. C., and W. P. Ingoldsby. “George Herbert’s ‘Easter-Wings.'” Huntington Library Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 2, 1972, pp. 131–42. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3817021. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
- Whitlock, Baird W. “The Sacramental Poetry of George Herbert.” South Central Review, vol. 3, no. 1, 1986, pp. 37–49. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3189124. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
- Loggins, Vernon P. “HERBERT’S ARCHITECTURAL TEMPLE: A RECONSIDERATION.” CLA Journal, vol. 40, no. 1, 1996, pp. 82–89. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44323134. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.