A Cyclical Spiritual Life In George Herbert's The Flower

A flower is delicate, a lovely sprig of life that dies all too quickly. It is by no means a permanent beauty; compared to humans, the lifespan of any flower is pitifully short. Yet it is a flower with which George Herbert compares humanity, a frail little blossom. “My shriveled heart... was gone / quite underground; as flowers depart / to see their mother-root, when they have blown” (lines 8-11). Every autumn, the flowers die and retreat underground, and every spring new seeds burst from the frozen ground, growing and blossoming into a new season of flowers. This cycle of nature represents a Christian 's spiritual walk, too, outlining the springs and winters of faith. As Herbert describes his spiritual life in terms of the seasons, he has hope that even as winter always becomes spring, so his worldly trials will eventually come to an end. The vivid imagery of this poem lends itself to the idea of a cyclical spiritual life, that earthly trials and troubles are only temporary. “The Flower” begins in spring, when “grief melts away / like snow in May, / as if there were no such cold thing” (5-7). When the sunshine melts away

The third stanza outlines the Lord 's great power, that his word is absolutely final. He is the omnipotent Lord, the only one capable of killing or giving life; in his judgment rests every human 's eternity. But he is not simply a raging deity of power, as Herbert realizes in the seventh stanza. “These are thy wonders, Lord of love” (43). The repetition of those first lines brings into stark contrast the one changed word, as “power” becomes “love.” This cycle, between fear of his power and awe in the face of his love, represents not only Herbert 's spiritual walk, but also the lives of countless other believers. From winter, when every gust of wind feels like his frown, to spring, when every breeze feels like his