Your weekly slice of Poetry

Welcome! This week's edition of Poetry Pie offers selections that were influential to a poem that I recently finished and published. The Black Dove (see below) was a poem that I worked on for over a year, inspired by some stark imagery from Revelation 19. While Poet's Notes are available for this work, I thought that I would also share various poems that were influential to it, whether stylistically, imaginatively, or theologically. We have such a rich history of English poetry that it's hard to not be inspired by one at any given time. I hope you enjoy!

The Destruction of Sennacherib

Lord Byron (1788—1824)

This poem was the inspiration for the The Black Dove's meter and rhyme. It is written in anapestic tetrameter, with four-line stanzas that are rhymed AABB. I desperately enjoy the anapestic foot and its unique rhythm (short-short-long: "on the FOLD"). It has such a propelling flow to it, carrying you through each line to the end.

This poem also shares commonality with my poem in its setting: the aftermath of a battle in which God was completely victorious. It takes the perspective of the losing force, delivering the wonder and awe of the might of the Lord.

The Raven

Edgar Allan Poe (1809—1849)

In terms of dialoging with a black bird, the inspiration from Poe's The Raven is quite obvious. This poem has always been one of my favorites; it is a complete masterpiece of form and imagery. Its amazing musicality is likely to be one of the first things that brought me to poetry, that truly showed me what poetry was capable of. Even if you understand none of what the poem means, you cannot read it without hearing the music. This has convinced me that the ideal poem must be something as good to hear as it is good to understand.

I was not consciously aware of this poem's connection with my own until it was nearly completed. The Raven, though written in a story-like description, is thoroughly symbolic. Each of the different "furnishings" of the poem (the books, the velvet-lined couch, the bust of Pallas, the raven itself) creates the environment in which the poem's meaning is acted out. My poem contains symbolic elements as well (the birds, manna, dusk, etc.) and I intended it to contain a similar amount of uneasiness.

Yet, the biggest difference between The Raven and The Black Dove is that Poe's is a tragedy, while mine is a comedy. While the soul of Poe's man "shall be lifted – nevermore," the soul of the other man is being re-clothed with the righteous flesh and blood of the High King.

Love (III)

George Herbert (1593—1633)

As most know, this poem has been very important to my understanding of beauty and of Christ (I mean, just look at the name of this blog). It depicts Jesus (Love personified) wooing a new guest into his hospitality and grace. The guest knows that he is unworthy of the attention from this infinitely worthy One, and he would feel more comfortable leaving or serving. Yet Love is persistent, and the guest submits to his hospitality.

This type of dialogue between an unworthy man and the tender God exists in The Black Dove. The grace in both of these poems is unexplained; it just exists by the kind smile of a holy God. Yet, while Herbert's poem depicts that moment when we first enter the presence of Jesus (what a day!), The Black Dove depicts our daily existence now as we are being sanctified into his body. The Spirit is our daily friend, working on us and crafting us into little symbols of the true King.

The Black Dove

G. Abram Newcomer

Having read some of these influences, take a moment to re-read The Black Dove and see some of those connections take form. There are, of course, many other influences that I am likely to be unaware of.

As a final thought, it's occurred to me recently that poetry often represents some of our best thoughts. Yet, it's a mistake to think that poets think "poetically" all the time, or that poets are somehow better or more sophisticated than others. We often come across this idea, where the title of "poet" is reserved for those who have some high calling to distill life's meanings into short lines.

In reality, poets (a.k.a. someone who has written poetry) are just... people. They may write a few wonderful things, but they all too often forget the beauties of what they write and need to go back to it themselves. I often find myself coming back to my own poetry and reminding myself of what I wrote and what it means.

This is why we ought to write. It's not just for others, but for ourselves. Writing serves as a stake in the ground that can remain steady while our fickle minds drift around it.

With that, I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into my inspiration for The Black Dove. Take care!