Huswifery
Edward Taylor
Make me, O Lord, thy Spining Wheele compleate.
Thy Holy Worde my Distaff make for mee.
Make mine Affections thy Swift Flyers neate
And make my Soule thy holy Spoole to bee.
My Conversation make to be thy Reele
And reele the yarn thereon spun of thy Wheele.
Make me thy Loome then, knit therein this Twine:
And make thy Holy Spirit, Lord, winde quills:
Then weave the Web thyselfe. The yarn is fine.
Thine Ordinances make my Fulling Mills.
Then dy the same in Heavenly Colours Choice,
All pinkt with Varnisht Flowers of Paradise.
Then cloath therewith mine Understanding, Will,
Affections, Judgment, Conscience, Memory
My Words, and Actions, that their shine may fill
My wayes with glory and thee glorify.
Then mine apparell shall display before yee
That I am Cloathd in Holy robes for glory.
Reflection
In the poem "Huswifery," by Edward Taylor, the speaker relates spinning a cloth on a spinning wheel to his devout relationship with god. In the first lines of the poem he asks God to be the master spinner behind the wheel which further indicates his desire to let God be in control of his life. This is shown when he says, " Make me, O Lord, thy Spining Wheele compleate. Thy Holy Worde my Distaff make for mee. Make mine Affections thy Swift Flyers neate And make my Soule thy holy Spoole to bee." Essentially, in the first stanze, the speaker is saying that he wants Gid to shape his life as God feels necessary.
The second stanza basically says the same thing as shown when he says, "Then weave the Web thyselfe. The yarn is fine." This line illustrates how he wants God to be in control and by stating, "The yarn is fine," he brings upon a feeling of fragility because he thinks that he cannot live his life to the fullest without the guidance from God.
Finally, once the weaving is complete, which indicates that all the essentials of a full God-serving heart is complete, he then asks for, "Heavenly Colours Choice." This means that he desires for others to see his inner beauty that they might desire that same inner beauty for themselves, leading them too to seek after the Lord. Now that the garment is complete, his heart is now a finished work, fully devoted to God - not limited to only himself, but also reaching out to others and bringing others to devote their lives to God as well. Lastly he asks that he be, "Cloathd in Holy robes for glory." This means that when his time comes, he feels that because he has followed the lord all his life he deserves his eternal reward in heaven.
Diary
Dear Diary,
After finishing the writing of my new poem, I somehow feel more attached to my true and mighty God than ever before. What more can one do than live by divine grace and appreciate the grace of God himself, for He ultimately controls our destiny whether that be glorious or disastrous, and if one is accepting of His grace than that one will enjoy the benefit of the eternal rewards most appropriately bestowed upon him. I plan to finish up the odds and ends in my poem and I will so appropriately title it "Huswifery."
Yours Truly,
Edward Taylor
