George Herbert’s The Pulley:

On the poet: George Herbert (1953-1633) was one of the renowned exponents of the Metaphysical School of Poetry who dealt with religious and spiritual themes in his poems. He was a Welsh poet and priest of the Church of England who had been recognised as “one of the foremost British devotional lyricists”.

About the poem: The Pulley is a highly religious Metaphysical poem written by George Herbert. The poem is imbued with various religious connotations and allusions. The concept of a pulley has been used in the poem as a metaphysical conceit .The word ‘pulley’ means a wheel on a shaft that is designed to support movement and change of direction. In the first stanza, the poet –persona states that when God creates Human race, he poured all his blessings on them out of his bounty. He made sure that every possible treasure should be provided to them. During his span of life, they were entitled to enjoy all luxuries and treasures of nature. Initially, they were endowed with strength. Subsequently, beauty emanated in their lives, followed by wisdom, honour and pleasure. Everything was bestowed on the human beings, except one thing, that is “rest”, or peace. During the process of showering all the wealth on men God contemplated upon the fact that if he provides them with this last treasure, peace, they would remain oblivious of him. Thus, they would worship Nature, but not the original Creator of Nature. Thus both of them would be failing in their purpose. Therefore, He paused for a while. This realization restrained him from offering man that precious gift. Eventually, men possessed all treasures and pleasures of the world, but the pursuit of it would make them restless, anxious and dissatisfied. Even if man’s inherent goodness fails to lead them to God, the tedious process of attaining the riches would never fail. This accrued weariness would generate a yearn for returning to God’s refuge without fail.

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