remember then thy fear | George MacDonald
by Elouise
The sonnet below blows me away. Not because it’s beautiful, but because it’s timely, true, and thought-provoking. Especially now, when we’re surrounded on all sides by friends and strangers haunted by dismay and death. The possibilities are endless: suicide, warfare of all kinds, bombing, Covid, lynching old style or new style, aging….
George MacDonald (1824-1905) dealt with his own incurable tuberculosis, witnessed the early death of six of his children, and was not well received by many church leaders. He also wrote amazing novels such as Lilith, and books for children such as At the Back of the North Wind. Dismay and death were regular visitors in his life.
Here’s MacDonald’s March 24 sonnet from The Book of Strife in the Form of the Diary of an Old Soul, also known as The Diary of an Old Soul.
O Christ, have pity on all folk when they come
Unto the border haunted of dismay;
When that they know not draweth very near–
The other thing, the opposite of day.
Formless and ghastly, sick, and gaping-dumb,
Before which even love doth lose its cheer;
O radiant Christ, remember then thy fear.George MacDonald (1824-1905), author
First published in The Book of Strife in the Form of the Diary of an Old Soul
© 1994 Augsburg Press, Diary of an Old Soul
Sonnet for March 24 found on p. 36
The last line of the sonnet says it all. MacDonald is praying on behalf of human beings “haunted of dismay.” They know death has moved too close for comfort. Too close for cheer.
This is what moves me. Instead of asking the “radiant Christ” to restore their cheer, he asks Christ to “remember then thy fear.” In other words, he’s asking Christ to accept and thus honor their fear, anguish, and anger. Including, I would add, MacDonald’s and that of our friends and family, plus our own.
Thanks for visiting, and for remembering friends and neighbors dealing with their own deaths.
Elouise♥
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 30 March 2022
Photo found at amazon.com, Kindle
Telling the Truth 
(I tried to comment a minute ago, but I don’t think it worked… I apologize if this ends up being a double!)
Eloise, I stumbled upon your blog a week or so ago. It was the post about spring, with the purple tree buds, I think. Or was that the second or third post I saw? Regardless, I think we may be distant kindred spirits. 😄 I am “an old soul” approaching my 40th birthday this summer, and I appreciate your poetry and prose.
I couldn’t resist commenting on today’s post because my current bedtime reading is George MacDonald’s “Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood.” It’s the first book by GM that I’ve read, although I’ve heard of his writings for many years, and I’m really enjoying it! He writes perceptively and portrays human characters realistically and believably. I may start a new collection!
Thank you for sharing this excerpt from another of his books. I really like how he didn’t actually name death in his sonnet, but instead calls it “the other thing, the opposite of day.” It does far more to arrest my imagination and my sympathy than simply stating the word.
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Hello, bcshank. I see only one comment from you, so no apologies needed!
Thank you for your comments about “the other thing, the opposite of day.” When I read it, I imagine MacDonald cringing every time ‘death’ is mentioned, in light of his own health and the early deaths of six of his children. The Christian church has a long history of trying to take the sting out of death, especially in services of remembrance. In this collection of sonnets, MacDonald forces me to think differently about things. Especially death and dying. If we don’t acknowledge the fully human death of Jesus of Nazareth, we’ve missed the point.
The most difficult read I’ve had so far was Lilith. It’s a mind-bender. I’ve read it twice, and it took that second reading to help me decipher his foreign language (called ‘English’!). It’s about what we cannot see–though his novel ‘sees’ it. I haven’t read Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood. Thanks for mentioning it. The title itself is intriguing. I would also highly recommend MacDonald’s children’s book, At the Back of the North Wind. Not just for little children, of course.
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That is an amazing sonnet – a prayer. I guess it is timeless. And it is so necessary in today’s very troubled and sad world.
I have only read the edited versions of George MacDonald – by Michael Phillips. But I was able to read lots of them in Ethiopia. I’ve only been able to get hold of two here in Australia. He told wonderful stories but I did not know his early life background. Thank you for that.
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You’re welcome, Robin. How sad that you haven’t been able to find his books in Australia. I have quite a few on my Kindle. But I don’t know if that appeals to you. The biggest plus is that you don’t have to lug books around! 🙂
Your opening comment is right on target. We are immersed in such deep pain and trouble these days that it’s difficult to imagine how we might heal from all this chaos and confusion. That’s one reason I find MacDonald so helpful. He isn’t afraid to call something what it is–using his own imaginative ways of helping us see what too often gets ‘normalized’ and taken for granted.
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Elouise – you won’t believe it. Several years ago I downloaded all of George MacDonald’s books on to my kindle. I have done nothing about them since. Please tell me where to start. I have read a lot of the edited versions.
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Yay! I’m so happy for you. If you haven’t read At the Back of the North Wind, and have it on Kindle, it’s wonderful. And sad at the same time. I’ve read it twice! I’ll think about a few other possibilities, and get back to in the next day or so. Happy reading! 🙏🏻
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