The Eucharistic Substance of George Herbert's "Prayer" (I)

Abstract

In The Temple, George Herbert's sonnet "Prayer" (I) immediately precedes "The H. Communion." The full significance of this arrangement has not been realized, since "Prayer" (I) has generally been regarded as a sublime effusion of appositives dealing exclusively with the Christian act of prayer. Gene Edward Veith, Jr. has come closest to realizing the essential link between "Prayer" (I) and "The H. Communion": he sees them as separate parts in a series, along with "Faith" and the three poems following "The H. Communion," which describe the various modes of communion with God.' Prayer is indeed such a mode, but Herbert's "Prayer" (I) is about the closest communion between God and hisfaithful on earth, the Holy Communion. Both "Prayer" (I) and "The H. Communion," each in its own mode, find their substance in the Eucharist.'