A Charge by Herbert Trench (1901)
"A Charge" by Herbert Trench gives a soul four stern charges: finish the gem your absent Lord commissioned despite bribes, turn back from Beauty's grove when Love bids, take the helm when Hell's spectres rise in tempest, and, shipwrecked with Truth on the last spar, let the one you are sworn to obey survive.
By Herbert Trench · First published 1901 · Genre: Lyric poetry, Allegorical poetry, Didactic poetry · 202 words
First lines
If thou hast squander'd years to grave a gem / Commission'd by thy absent Lord, and while / 'Tis incomplete, / Others would bribe thy needy skill to them -- / Dismiss them to the street!
Shouldst thou at last discover Beauty's grove, / At last be panting on the fragrant verge, / But in the track, / Drunk with divine possession, thou meet Love -- / Turn, at her bidding, back.
When round thy ship in tempest Hell appears, / And every spectre mutters up more dire / To snatch control / And loose to madness thy deep-kennell'd Fears -- / Then, to the helm, O Soul!
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Genres
- Lyric poetry — Short, musical stanzas speak in a personal, emotionally charged voice about the inner struggles of the soul.
- Allegorical poetry — The gem, the ship, the tempest, the sea and the castaway's spar are extended figures standing for art, the soul, life's trials and the pursuit of truth.
- Didactic poetry — The poem instructs the reader on how to act: finish the work, resist flattery, steer through fear and hold to truth.
- Moral poetry — Its central concern is ethical choice, namely the priority of inner duty and truth over temptation, persuasion and self-preservation.
Tags
poetry · allegorical poem · moral allegory · address to the soul · duty and obedience · faithfulness to an absent lord · resisting temptation · bribery · love versus duty · beauty · sea voyage · shipwreck
What this Textopian page supports
A Charge is listed on Textopian as a poem by Herbert Trench, dated 1901 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Herbert Trench
- Date: 1901 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric poetry, Allegorical poetry, Didactic poetry, Moral poetry, Philosophical poetry
- Length: 202 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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