“Easter Wings” was written by the 17th-century Welsh poet George Herbert, who was also an Anglican priest. The poem is a visual, or shaped poem: if viewed sideways (as it was originally published), each stanza resembles a set of open wings. This shape reflects the poem’s central theme, as the speaker suggests that those who stay close to God through religious devotion can “fly" above, or find redemption from, their suffering. “Easter Wings” was first published in Herbert’s posthumous collection The Temple in 1633, the same year in which he died.
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The Full Text of “Easter Wings”
1Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
2 Though foolishly he lost the same,
3 Decaying more and more,
4 Till he became
5 Most poore:
6 With thee
7 O let me rise
8 As larks, harmoniously,
9 And sing this day thy victories:
10Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
11My tender age in sorrow did beginne
12 And still with sicknesses and shame
13 Thou didst so punish sinne,
14 That I became
15 Most thinne.
16 With thee
17 Let me combine,
18 And feel thy victorie:
19 For, if I imp my wing on thine,
20Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
The Full Text of “Easter Wings”
1Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
2 Though foolishly he lost the same,
3 Decaying more and more,
4 Till he became
5 Most poore:
6 With thee
7 O let me rise
8 As larks, harmoniously,
9 And sing this day thy victories:
10Then shall the fall further the flight in me.
11My tender age in sorrow did beginne
12 And still with sicknesses and shame
13 Thou didst so punish sinne,
14 That I became
15 Most thinne.
16 With thee
17 Let me combine,
18 And feel thy victorie:
19 For, if I imp my wing on thine,
20Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
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“Easter Wings” Summary
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“Easter Wings” Themes
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Suffering and Redemption
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Easter Wings”
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Lines 1-2
Lord, who createdst man in wealth and store,
Though foolishly he lost the same, -
Lines 3-5
Decaying more and more,
Till he became
Most poore: -
Lines 6-8
With thee
O let me rise
As larks, harmoniously, -
Lines 9-10
And sing this day thy victories:
Then shall the fall further the flight in me. -
Lines 11-13
My tender age in sorrow did beginne
And still with sicknesses and shame
Thou didst so punish sinne, -
Lines 14-15
That I became
Most thinne. -
Lines 16-18
With thee
Let me combine,
And feel thy victorie: -
Lines 19-20
For, if I imp my wing on thine,
Affliction shall advance the flight in me.
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“Easter Wings” Symbols
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Larks
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Wings and Flight
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“Easter Wings” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Allusion
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Apostrophe
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Metaphor
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Simile
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Paradox
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Parallelism
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End-Stopped Line
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Alliteration
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Sibilance
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Assonance
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“Easter Wings” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Createdst
- Store
- Decaying
- Poore
- Larks
- Victories
- The Fall
- Tender
- Sinne
- Thinne
- Imp
- Affliction
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Easter Wings”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Easter Wings” Speaker
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“Easter Wings” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Easter Wings”
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More “Easter Wings” Resources
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External Resources
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Ancient Greek Shaped Poetry — “Easter Wings” draws on a tradition of concrete, or shaped, poetry, that dates back to ancient Greece. Read more about this tradition and see examples of ancient shaped poetry—including “The Wings” by Simias of Rhodes.
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Video of Andrew Motion Discussing George Herbert — Listen to Andrew Motion, the former Poet Laureate of the UK, discuss the influence of George Herbert’s poetry on his own work in this clip recorded at the George Herbert Festival in 2014.
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Biography of George Herbert — Read more about George Herbert’s life and poetry.
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Metaphysical Poetry — Learn more about the school of poetry to which George Herbert belonged.
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1633 Facsimile of “Easter Wings” — View a facsimile of the poem as it was originally published in 1633. The poem is printed sideways, making the shape of wings clear.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by George Herbert
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