'Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn' by Sidney Lanier
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By Sidney and Clifford Lanier.
[Not long ago a certain Georgia cotton-planter, driven to desperation
by awaking each morning to find that the grass had
quite outgrown the cotton overnight, and was likely to choke it,
in defiance of his lazy freedmen's hoes and ploughs,
set the whole State in a laugh by exclaiming to a group of fellow-sufferers:
"It's all stuff about Cincinnatus leaving the plough to go into politics
FOR PATRIOTISM; he was just a-runnin' from grass!"
This state of things -- when the delicate young rootlets of the cotton
are struggling against the hardier multitudes of the grass-suckers --
is universally described in plantation parlance by the phrase "in the grass";
and Uncle Jim appears to have found in it so much similarity
to the condition of his own ("Baptis'") church, overrun, as it was,
by the cares of this world, that he has embodied it in the refrain
of a revival hymn such as the colored improvisator of the South
not infrequently constructs from his daily surroundings.
He has drawn all the ideas of his stanzas from the early morning phenomena of
those critical weeks when the loud plantation-horn is blown before daylight,
in order to rouse all hands for a long day's fight against the common enemy
of cotton-planting mankind.
In addition to these exegetical commentaries, the Northern reader
probably needs to be informed that the phrase "peerten up" means substantially
`to spur up', and is an active form of the adjective "peert"
(probably a corruption of `pert'), which is so common in the South,
and which has much the signification of "smart" in New England, as e.g.,
a "peert" horse, in antithesis to a "sorry" -- i.e., poor, mean, lazy one.]
Solo. --Sin's rooster's crowed, Ole Mahster's riz,
De sleepin'-time is pas';
Wake up dem lazy Baptissis,
Chorus. --Dey's mightily in de grass, grass,
Dey's mightily in de grass.
Ole Mahster's blowed de mornin' horn,
He's blowed a powerful blas';
O Baptis' come, come hoe de corn,
You's mightily in de grass, grass,
You's mightily in de grass.
De Meth'dis team's done hitched; O fool,
De day's a-breakin' fas';
Gear up dat lean ole Baptis' mule,
Dey's mightily in de grass, grass,
Dey's mightily in de grass.
De workmen's few an' mons'rous slow,
De cotton's sheddin' fas';
Whoop, look, jes' look at de Baptis' row,
Hit's mightily in de grass, grass,
Hit's mightily in de grass.
De jay-bird squeal to de mockin'-bird:"Stop!
Don' gimme none o' yo' sass;
Better sing one song for de Baptis' crop,
Dey's mightily in de grass, grass,
Dey's mightily in de grass."
And de ole crow croak:"Don' work, no, no;"
But de fiel'-lark say, "Yaas, yaas,
An' I spec' you mighty glad, you debblish crow,
Dat de Baptissis's in de grass, grass,
Dat de Baptissis's in de grass!"
Lord, thunder us up to de plowin'-match,
Lord, peerten de hoein' fas',
Yea, Lord, hab mussy on de Baptis' patch,
Dey's mightily in de grass, grass,
Dey's mightily in de grass.
Editor 1 Interpretation
"Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn" by Sidney Lanier: A Critique and Interpretation
Are you looking for a poem that will stir your soul and make your heart sing with joy and hope? Look no further than "Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn" by Sidney Lanier. This classic poem is a masterful work of art that captures the essence of faith, hope, and redemption.
Background
Before we dive into the poem itself, let's take a moment to learn a little bit about its author. Sidney Lanier was a 19th-century American poet and musician who is best known for his lyrical and musical poetry. Lanier was born in Georgia in 1842 and grew up in a family that valued education and the arts. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and went on to become a successful musician and composer after the war.
"Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn" was published in 1877, just a few years before Lanier's death in 1881. The poem reflects Lanier's deep Christian faith and his love for music, two themes that are central to many of his works.
Analysis
Now let's turn our attention to the poem itself. "Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn" is a powerful and uplifting work that celebrates the power of faith and the joy of redemption. The poem is written in a lyrical and musical style that reflects Lanier's background as a musician.
The poem opens with a description of the scene at the revival meeting:
Out in the lonely woods the jasmine burns
Its fragrant lamps, and turns
Into a royal court with green festoons
The banks of dark lagoons.
Here, Lanier sets the stage for the poem's main theme: the transformation of a humble outdoor setting into a sacred space where the power of faith can be felt. The use of the word "lonely" suggests that the woods are a place of isolation and solitude, but the jasmine's "fragrant lamps" and the festoons of green create a sense of celebration and joy.
The poem then introduces us to Uncle Jim, the revival preacher:
Here, where the lonely jasmine burns,
And the great mystic wheel of heaven turns,
Life's Wheel, that thunders ever on and on,
Lonely, uncared-for Jim,
Hears the fierce nun-like whippoorwill
Piercing the holy calm; and, while the thrill
Of the sweet-smelling jasmine yet abides,
His heart runs o'er with hymn.
Uncle Jim is portrayed as a lonely figure, but his faith gives him a sense of purpose and joy. The use of the word "nun-like" to describe the whippoorwill emphasizes the spiritual nature of the scene and suggests that Uncle Jim's faith is as strong and committed as that of a nun.
As Uncle Jim begins to preach, the poem takes on a more rhythmic and musical quality:
And now the fervid misters rise,
And the vollied lightning of the soul flies
From rank to rank, and cheers and binds
The myriad hearts before whose kindled eyes
In one glad moment flashes all the vast
Wild landscape, an illuminated chart.
Lo! hills, and streams, and woods, and skies,
All rocking under God's triumphal car,
As he moves on to make new worlds and stars.
The use of repetition and alliteration in this passage creates a sense of excitement and energy. The "fervid misters" and "vollied lightning" suggest a powerful and emotional sermon, while the "myriad hearts" and "illuminated chart" suggest a shared sense of community and purpose.
The poem then reaches its climactic moment with Uncle Jim's baptism:
Then down the bank,
With hushing of the jasmine rank,
And quivering gold, and tearful diamonds,
And panting, almost sobbing sighs,
The white converts, like wrecks of glory, bound,
Wind to the water's edge and round,
Where, like a prophet, with the water to his waist,
Lonely, uncrowned, and divine,
And looking through the soul's large eyes,
Uncle Jim, in his rapt surmise,
Of the glad day, is baptizing in the name
Of the sweet Christ, who died to save, and rose to bless and claim.
In this passage, Lanier uses a series of powerful visual and auditory images to create a sense of drama and emotion. The "hushing of the jasmine rank" and "quivering gold" suggest a sense of reverence and awe, while the "panting, almost sobbing sighs" and "wrecks of glory" suggest a sense of overwhelming emotion and joy.
The final lines of the poem bring the theme of redemption and hope to the forefront:
And as each white soul, in its white robe dressed,
Sinks to the water and is then repressed
By Uncle Jim, and then is raised again,
And at the final rise is joined with men
And angels, and its heart is comforted
With speechless things that God hath made,
Its ransomed eyes still fixed upon the place
Where last it saw the white robe of God's grace,
And heard the rush of wings up through the sky,
And felt great winds go hurrying by,
And saw the jasmine fade, and knew that it had died.
The use of repetition in this passage reinforces the themes of redemption and hope. The "white robe" and "comforted with speechless things" suggest a sense of purity and grace, while the "rush of wings" and "great winds" suggest a sense of movement and progress. The final lines, with their reference to the fading jasmine, suggest that even in the midst of joy and redemption, there is still a sense of loss and mortality.
Interpretation
So what does all of this mean? What is Lanier trying to say with "Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn"? At its core, the poem is a celebration of faith, hope, and redemption.
The scene at the revival meeting is a symbol of transformation. The lonely woods become a sacred space, and Uncle Jim's preaching and baptism bring a sense of hope and joy to the people who attend. The use of visual and auditory imagery throughout the poem reinforces this sense of transformation and suggests that the power of faith can transform even the most humble and ordinary of settings.
Uncle Jim himself is a symbol of faith and commitment. Despite his loneliness and humble circumstances, he is able to inspire and uplift others through his preaching and baptism. The fact that he is "lonely, uncrowned, and divine" suggests that true faith does not require wealth, power, or status, but rather a pure and genuine heart.
The baptism itself is a symbol of redemption and hope. The white robes of the converts suggest a sense of purity and grace, while the act of being baptized and raised again suggests a sense of rebirth and renewal. The fact that the converts' "ransomed eyes" are fixed on the place where they last saw the white robe of God's grace suggests a sense of longing and aspiration, as if they are striving to be closer to God and to experience the fullness of his grace and love.
Finally, the poem's emphasis on mortality and loss suggests that even in the midst of joy and hope, there is still a sense of sadness and impermanence. The fading jasmine and the sense of loss that it represents suggest that even the most powerful experiences of faith and redemption are fleeting and transitory. But despite this, the poem's overall message is one of hope and faith, of the ability of the human spirit to transcend even the most difficult circumstances and to experience the fullness of God's grace and love.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn" is a powerful and uplifting work of poetry that celebrates the power of faith, hope, and redemption. Lanier's use of visual and auditory imagery, repetition, and rhythmic and musical language create a sense of drama and emotion that captures the essence of the revival meeting and its transformative power. The poem's themes of transformation, faith, commitment, redemption, and mortality are all woven together into a powerful and inspiring work that will leave readers feeling uplifted and inspired.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn: A Masterpiece of Poetry
If you are a lover of poetry, then you must have come across Sidney Lanier's classic poem, Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn. This masterpiece of poetry is a perfect example of how a poet can use language to create a vivid and emotional experience for the reader. In this article, we will take a closer look at this poem and explore its themes, structure, and language.
The poem is set in the context of a Baptist revival meeting, where Uncle Jim, a charismatic preacher, is leading the congregation in a hymn. The poem begins with a description of the setting, with the poet painting a picture of the church and the people gathered there. The language used is rich and evocative, with the poet using words like "dim," "dusky," and "smoky" to create a sense of atmosphere.
As the hymn begins, the poet shifts his focus to Uncle Jim, describing him as a "giant" with a "voice like thunder." The language used here is powerful and emotive, with the poet using metaphors and similes to create a vivid image of the preacher. The use of the word "thunder" is particularly effective, as it conveys both the power and the intensity of Uncle Jim's voice.
The poem then moves on to describe the hymn itself, with the poet using language to create a sense of movement and rhythm. The use of repetition is particularly effective here, with the poet repeating the phrase "Glory, glory, hallelujah" throughout the poem. This repetition creates a sense of momentum, as if the hymn is building towards a climax.
As the hymn reaches its climax, the poet describes the effect it has on the congregation. The language used here is again powerful and emotive, with the poet using words like "rapture," "ecstasy," and "transport" to convey the intensity of the experience. The use of the word "transport" is particularly effective, as it suggests that the congregation has been lifted out of themselves and taken to another place.
The poem then ends with a description of the aftermath of the hymn, with the poet describing the silence that follows as the congregation comes down from their emotional high. The language used here is more subdued than earlier in the poem, with the poet using words like "stillness" and "calm" to create a sense of contrast.
One of the key themes of the poem is the power of religious experience. The poem suggests that through the act of singing and worship, the congregation is able to connect with something greater than themselves. The use of language is particularly effective here, as the poet is able to convey the intensity of the experience through his words.
Another theme of the poem is the power of language itself. The poet is able to create a vivid and emotional experience for the reader through his use of language. The repetition of the phrase "Glory, glory, hallelujah" is a particularly effective example of this, as it creates a sense of momentum and builds towards a climax.
The structure of the poem is also worth noting. The poem is written in free verse, with no set rhyme or meter. This allows the poet to be more flexible with his language, and to create a sense of movement and rhythm through his use of repetition and other poetic devices.
In conclusion, Uncle Jim's Baptist Revival Hymn is a masterpiece of poetry that explores the themes of religious experience and the power of language. The poet's use of language is particularly effective, creating a vivid and emotional experience for the reader. The structure of the poem is also worth noting, as it allows the poet to be more flexible with his language and to create a sense of movement and rhythm. Overall, this poem is a must-read for anyone who loves poetry and wants to experience the power of language at its best.
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