
The poem explores the theme of spiritual awakening and redemption through the metaphor of Christ's crucifixion. The speaker describes a personal crisis of faith, feeling disconnected from God and struggling with sin. Through a vivid and symbolic depiction of Christ's sacrifice, the poem conveys the idea that only through surrender to a higher power can one find forgiveness and transcendence.
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox · First published 1894 · Genre: Religious Poetry, Social Commentary, Visionary Literature · 628 words
Now ere I slept, my prayer had been that I might see my way / To do the will of Christ, our Lord and Master, day by day; / And with this prayer upon my lips, I knew not that I dreamed, / But suddenly the world of night a pandemonium seemed. / From forest, and from slaughter house, from bull ring, and from stall, / There rose an anguished cry of pain, a loud, appealing call; / As man-the dumb beast's next of kin-with gun, and whip, and knife, / Went pleasure-seeking through the earth, blood-bent on taking life. / From trap, and cage, and house, and zoo, and street, that awful strain / Of tortured creatures rose and swelled the orchestra of pain. / And then methought the gentle Christ appeared to me, and spoke: / ‘I called you, but ye answered not'-and in my fear I woke.
Christianity · Religion · Spirituality · Poetry · Literature · American Literature · 19th Century · Victorian Era · Jesus Christ · Crucifixion · Faith · Hope
Christ Crucified is listed on Textopian as a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, dated 1894 CE.
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