Symbol of Love: A Heart both Bound and Peirced
Then it will bind and chain and flog
Till you can take no more
And leave you stumbling in the fog
Alone - lost in amour.
Stanza V of the poetic parable on Love speaks to the cost of Love.
Love Stanza V, Line I - Then it will bind and chain and flog
There are many concepts all tied up (pun intended?) within this first line. It is not the "pleasure" aspect of Love as portrayed in Stanza IV; but rather something else. The idea of being bound when in Love is nothing new. There are wedding ceremonies where the hands of the couple are actually tied together to symbolize the binding. Typically, this is a binding that is entered into with freewill.
As the visitor describes in the section regarding Marriage, there are different kinds of marriage, but a marriage entered into freely, is stronger than earthly bonds.
Where two souls unite, and become one
And God has blessed the union
Is born a life that cannot be undone
But made stronger by the communion.
Such a marriage is well beyond
The mortal laws of man
Such a marriage only belongs
To those who understand.
The idea of being "chained" is not necessarily as welcome an image, but too often too familiar. There are times when Love seems to be more of anchor or chain rather than a source of uplifting strength. However, being chained or grounded is sometimes not a bad thing (and I'm not talking about the 50 shades of grey notion). Rather, there are times when we may feel "lost like a ship on the ocean" when we are being bounced around in uncharted waters surrounded by unfamiliar rocks which can threaten our own well-being. At times such as those, a chain or an anchor can actually be the best thing for us. As such, there are times that Love is an anchor or chain that keeps us safe and grounded, even when we fight against being held.
As for the image of flogged; that is a reference regarding sacrifice. The ultimate (perfect) human suffering in the name of Love was flogged prior to paying the ultimate price (sacrifice) for others (Love).
Love Stanza V, Line II - Till you can take no more
This is the reference for suffering which is part of the price of Love. This is not just having to endure the hard parts; but actually being open to the concept of suffering Love. This concept is also shared throughout the novel by the visitor; for example in the section on Joy and Sorrow:
The deeper the pain carved into your soul,
The more joy you are able to share.
And although that pain may take a steep toll
It’s from knowing, we know how to care.
As the image associated at the beginning of this blog on Stanza V , it is not a rare depiction of Love to see a heart that is either bound and/or pierced. Typically we see such images during Valentine's day, with a story about cupid; but the reality is that Love typically is associated with the concepts of permanence and pain.
Love Stanza V, Line III - And leave you stumbling in the fog
To Love, you must be open to the concept of not only sacrifice, but open to the reality of loss. Hearts can feel broken. The loss a loved one is not so easily dismissed. If you have ever experienced the loss of a Loved one, the idea of feeling alone, disorientated and stumbling around in a fog will be familiar. Again, while Stanzas I-III on Love talk about "what Love is" and Stanza IV about the "pleasure" of Love; Stanza V is about "the pain" associated with Love.
Love Stanza V, Line IV - Alone - lost in amour.
Love, like life, we enter alone. When we lose either it is a solo part of the journey. This feeling of being alone is reiterated by the visitor in other sections of the book. On the section regarding Knowledge, the visitor uses the word "alone" twice within one stanza. However as in Love, although we may be alone, we are yet connected. In the eyes of the visitor the dualistic extremes are easy to understand (alone/we are one).
He leaves you to walk through the threshold alone
As we all stand alone before God
And lifting your gaze you will see we are one
And the division is but a façade.
The purpose of switching to French (amour) and not capitalizing the word (where Love is always capitalized) is again a literary device. The reason it is not capitalized is that the term "amour" is typically used to describe an illicit affair, sexual in nature. While using French also reconnects the reader back to the earlier reference to the Phoenix and the Metz Cathedral in France (see previous blog entry), the real meaning of the last line in stanza V on Love is the summation of the cost of Love, especially an incomplete Love. This recognition of the danger of purely sexual pleasure as a replacement for Love is also described by the Visitor in the chapter on Pleasure.
Yet do not lose yourselves in the singing.
Take care in refrain and response.
For while it is natural, beware what it brings
As the heart wants what it wants.
So ends the fifth stanza on the poetic parable on Love. While the first three stanzas described a higher state of Love and the fourth stanza talked about the pleasure of physical Love, the fifth stanza is purely about the cost associated with Love.
I leave you now with the first five stanzas of the poetic parable on Love. Until next time, Journey in Love - Michael Paul
When Love beckons, do not sleep
And let none stand in defiance of;
Though cost be high and loss be steep
Leave doubt behind and yield to Love.
As sure as Love will lift you high
To heights beyond your reach
To fully grasp; you must partly die
Self-interest must be breached.
And Love will drop you like a bird
Scorched flying near the sun
Do not the dizzy heights disturb
Love’s quest to become one.
For your body; it will bless
And guide you through all weather
While softly naked it will caress
Your body like a feather.
Then it will bind and chain and flog
Till you can take no more
And leave you stumbling in the fog
Alone - lost in amour.