The Last Gospel by Sheila Kaye-Smith
The text supplied is a short poem titled "The Last Gospel," attributed to Sheila Kaye-Smith, not a prose or narrative work, so it contains no plot, characters, or setting to synthesize. It consists of two stanzas built on a single extended comparison. The poem opens inside a church at the close of Mass, describing how, once the music has ended and the last candle-flames on the Altar gradually go out one by one, the Priest turns to face east, kneels before the sacred Ark, and quietly recites the Last Gospel alone. The second stanza turns this liturgical image into a personal one: the speaker declares that they perform the same rite when dreams die and the last, wretched candle-lights of love are seen darkening upon the Altar of the beloved's heart. Like the Priest, the speaker faces east and speaks a Last Gospel of their own before departing, bowing, in leaving, to What Has Been.
By Sheila Kaye-Smith · First published 1961 · Genre: Religious Poetry, Love Poetry, Elegiac Poetry · 140 words
First lines
When Mass is said, / The music dead, / And the last lights upon the Altar-throne / Drop slowly one by one into the dark, / To the east / Turns the Priest, / And bows his knee before the sacred Ark / And whispers the Last Gospel through -- alone.
So do I / When dreams die, / And love's last wretched candle-lights are seen / Darkening upon the Altar of your heart, / Face the east, / And like the Priest / Say my Last Gospel through ere I depart, / And before leaving bow to What Has Been.
Genres
- Religious Poetry — The work employs Catholic liturgical imagery, specifically the Mass and Last Gospel, as its structural and thematic foundation, with direct references to the Priest, Altar, and sacred rituals.
- Love Poetry — The poem establishes an extended metaphor between religious devotion and romantic or spiritual love, with explicit references to 'love's last wretched candle-lights' and 'the Altar of your heart.'
- Elegiac Poetry — The work is fundamentally concerned with farewell, loss, and the ending of something precious, employing the elegiac tradition's focus on what has been lost or is departing.
- Metaphysical Poetry — The poem uses elaborate religious metaphor to explore abstract emotional and spiritual truths, blending sensory imagery with philosophical reflection on devotion and faith.
Tags
Poetry · Lyric poem · Religious poetry · Devotional poetry · Love · Loss · Grief · Resignation · Acceptance · Farewell · Church · Altar
What this Textopian page supports
The Last Gospel is listed on Textopian as a poem by Sheila Kaye-Smith, dated 1961 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Sheila Kaye-Smith
- Date: 1961 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Religious Poetry, Love Poetry, Elegiac Poetry, Metaphysical Poetry, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 140 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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- Work identity for The Last Gospel by Sheila Kaye-Smith
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
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