Linda's Literary Home

Tag: death

  • James Weldon Johnson’s “Go Down Death”

    Image: James Weldon Johnson – Green-Wood

    James Weldon Johnson’s “Go Down Death”

    James Weldon Johnson’s funeral oration, “Go Down Death,” offers one the most beautiful and heartfelt expressions of the soul’s journey through life.

    Introduction and Text of “Go Down Death”

    The epigraph to James Weldon Johnson’s poem, “Go Down Death,” from God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse, identifies the poem as a dramatic “funeral oration.” This dramatization of the soul’s journey from life to death and beyond remains one of the most beautiful metaphoric expressions on the subject.

    The poem, “Go Down Death,” features ten versagraphs in which a pastor ministers to a grieving family.  The uplifting sermon remains  an example of Johnson’s marvelous craftsmanship with words and profound ideas regarding life and death.

    Go Down Death

    (A Funeral Sermon) 

    Weep not, weep not,
    She is not dead;
    She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.
    Heart-broken husband—weep no more;
    Grief-stricken son—weep no more;
    Left-lonesome daughter —weep no more;
    She only just gone home.

    Day before yesterday morning,
    God was looking down from his great, high heaven,
    Looking down on all his children,
    And his eye fell on Sister Caroline,
    Tossing on her bed of pain.
    And God’s big heart was touched with pity,
    With the everlasting pity.

    And God sat back on his throne,
    And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand:
    Call me Death!
    And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice
    That broke like a clap of thunder:
    Call Death!—Call Death!
    And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven
    Till it reached away back to that shadowy place,
    Where Death waits with his pale, white horses.

    And Death heard the summons,
    And he leaped on his fastest horse,
    Pale as a sheet in the moonlight.
    Up the golden street Death galloped,
    And the hooves of his horses struck fire from the gold,
    But they didn’t make no sound.
    Up Death rode to the Great White Throne,
    And waited for God’s command.

    And God said: Go down, Death, go down,
    Go down to Savannah, Georgia,
    Down in Yamacraw,
    And find Sister Caroline.
    She’s borne the burden and heat of the day,
    She’s labored long in my vineyard,
    And she’s tired—
    She’s weary—
    Go down, Death, and bring her to me.

    And Death didn’t say a word,
    But he loosed the reins on his pale, white horse,
    And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides,
    And out and down he rode,
    Through heaven’s pearly gates,
    Past suns and moons and stars;
    on Death rode,
    Leaving the lightning’s flash behind;
    Straight down he came.

    While we were watching round her bed,
    She turned her eyes and looked away,
    She saw what we couldn’t see;
    She saw Old Death.  She saw Old Death
    Coming like a falling star.
    But Death didn’t frighten Sister Caroline;
    He looked to her like a welcome friend.
    And she whispered to us: I’m going home,
    And she smiled and closed her eyes.

    And Death took her up like a baby,
    And she lay in his icy arms,
    But she didn’t feel no chill.
    And death began to ride again—
    Up beyond the evening star,
    Into the glittering light of glory,
    On to the Great White Throne.
    And there he laid Sister Caroline
    On the loving breast of Jesus.

    And Jesus took his own hand and wiped away her tears,
    And he smoothed the furrows from her face,
    And the angels sang a little song,
    And Jesus rocked her in his arms,
    And kept a-saying: Take your rest,
    Take your rest.

    Weep not—weep not,
    She is not dead;
    She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.

    Wintley Phipps’ amazing recitation of “Go Down, Death”  

    Commentary on “Go Down Death”

    James Weldon Johnson’s “Go Down Death,” a dramatization of the soul’s journey from life to death and beyond, remains one of the most beautiful metaphoric expressions on the subject.

    First Versagraph:  A Command not to Weep  

    Weep not, weep not,
    She is not dead;
    She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.
    Heart-broken husband—weep no more;
    Grief-stricken son—weep no more;
    Left-lonesome daughter —weep no more;
    She only just gone home.

    The often rhythmic, deeply dramatic oration begins with a refrain, “Weep not, weep not.” This command is directed to the family of a deceased woman, who is survived by a “Heart-broken husband, a Grief-stricken son, and a Left-lonesome daughter.”

    The minister delivering the funeral sermon tasks himself with convincing the grieving family that their loved one is not dead, because she is resting in the bosom of Jesus, and she has only just gone home.

    Second Versagraph:  God’s Pity and What’s Often Forgotten

    Day before yesterday morning,
    God was looking down from his great, high heaven,
    Looking down on all his children,
    And his eye fell on Sister Caroline,
    Tossing on her bed of pain.
    And God’s big heart was touched with pity,
    With the everlasting pity.

    The minister creates a beautiful narrative beginning on the day just before the beloved died. He says that God was looking down from his great, high heaven, and He happened to glimpse Sister Caroline, who was “tossing on her bed of pain.”  God in His great mercy was filled “with everlasting pity.” 

    The minister weaves a beautiful narrative designed not only to relieve the pain of the mourners but also to let them know a truth that is so often forgotten at the time of loss and grieving at death.

    Third Versagraph:   A Creature not to be Feared

    And God sat back on his throne,
    And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand:
    Call me Death!
    And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice
    That broke like a clap of thunder:
    Call Death!—Call Death!
    And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven
    Till it reached away back to that shadowy place,
    Where Death waits with his pale, white horses.

    God instructed His “tall, bright angel” standing on His right to summon Death. The angel then summoned Death from the darkness in which he is always waiting with his pack of white horses.

    Death is now becoming an anthropomorphic creature who will perform a function directed by God.  If God is directing the creative Death, then mourners will begin to understand that Death is not a creature to be feared, only to be understood as a servant of the Belovèd Lord.

    Fourth Versagraph:   Death before the Great White Throne

    And Death heard the summons,
    And he leaped on his fastest horse,
    Pale as a sheet in the moonlight.
    Up the golden street Death galloped,
    And the hooves of his horses struck fire from the gold,
    But they didn’t make no sound.
    Up Death rode to the Great White Throne,
    And waited for God’s command.

    Hearing the call, Death leaps on his fastest stead.  Death is pale in the moonlight, but he continues on, speeding down the golden street.  And although the horses’ hooves “struck fire f rom the the gold,” no sound emanated from the clash.   Finally, Death arrives at the Great White Throne, where he waits for God to give him his orders.

    Fifth Versagraph:  Death Goes down to Georgia

    And God said: Go down, Death, go down,
    Go down to Savannah, Georgia,
    Down in Yamacraw,
    And find Sister Caroline.
    She’s borne the burden and heat of the day,
    She’s labored long in my vineyard,
    And she’s tired—
    She’s weary—
    Go down, Death, and bring her to me.

    God commands Death to travel down to Georgia in Savannah.  There he must find “Sister Caroline.”  The poor sister has suffered for a long time; she has been a valiant laborer for God.  Now she has grown too tired and too debilitated to continue on in her present incarnation.  

    Thus, God instructs Death to fetch the soul of Sister Caroline to Him.  Knowing that Death is simply the conveyance employed by the Blessèd Creator to bring His children home is a concept that can bring comfort and relief to the mourners.

    Sixth Versagraph:   Death Obeys God’s Command  

    And Death didn’t say a word,
    But he loosed the reins on his pale, white horse,
    And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides,
    And out and down he rode,
    Through heaven’s pearly gates,
    Past suns and moons and stars;
    on Death rode,
    Leaving the lightning’s flash behind;
    Straight down he came.

    Without uttering a sound, Death immediately complies with God’s command. Death rides out through “the pearly gates, / Past suns and moons and stars.” He heads straight down to Sister Caroline, to whom God had directed him. 

    Understanding the nature of God’s servant “Death” continues to build hope and understanding in the heart of the mourners.  Their grieving can be assuaged and directed to a whole new arena of theological thought and practice.

    Seventh Versagraph:  Welcoming God’s Emissary

    While we were watching round her bed,
    She turned her eyes and looked away,
    She saw what we couldn’t see;
    She saw Old Death.  She saw Old Death
    Coming like a falling star.
    But Death didn’t frighten Sister Caroline;
    He looked to her like a welcome friend.
    And she whispered to us: I’m going home,
    And she smiled and closed her eyes.

    Upon seeing Death approaching, Sister Caroline welcomes him as if he were an old friend, and she informs the others who were standing around her, ministering to her, that she was not afraid. Sister Caroline then tells them she is going home, as she smiles and closes her eyes for the last time.

    By seeing that the dying soul can be so accepting of her new circumstance of leaving the physical body and the earth level of existence, the mourners continue to grow in acceptance as they become capable of letting their grief go.  They can replace grief with the joy of knowing God and God’s ways.  

    That God simply uses Death for his own purposes goes a long way to healing the misunderstanding that one life on earth is all each soul has.  The physical level of being becomes a mere step in the evolution through which the soul passes on its way back to its permanent home in God.

    Eighth Versagraph:   The Soul Moving into the Astral World  

    And Death took her up like a baby,
    And she lay in his icy arms,
    But she didn’t feel no chill.
    And death began to ride again—
    Up beyond the evening star,
    Into the glittering light of glory,
    On to the Great White Throne.
    And there he laid Sister Caroline
    On the loving breast of Jesus.

    Death then takes Sister Caroline in his arms as he would a baby.  Even though Death’s arm were icy, she experiences no cold.   Sister is now able to feel with her astral body, not her physical encasement.  

    Again Death rides beyond the physical evening star and on into the astral light of “glory.”   He approaches the great throne of God and commits the soul of Sister Caroline to the loving care of Christ.

    Ninth Versagraph:  Sister Shed Delusion of Earth Life

    And Jesus took his own hand and wiped away her tears,
    And he smoothed the furrows from her face,
    And the angels sang a little song,
    And Jesus rocked her in his arms,
    And kept a-saying: Take your rest,
    Take your rest.

    Jesus brushes away all sorrow from the soul of Sister Caroline.  She soothes her, and she loses the deep furrows that marred her face, after long living in the world of sorrows and trials.   The angels then serenade her as Christ comforts her.   Sister Caroline can finally rest from her all her trials and tribulations; she can now shed the delusion that kept her hidebound as she passed through life on the physical plane.

    Tenth Versagraph:  Repeated Command not to Weep

    Weep not—weep not,
    She is not dead;
    She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.

    The minister then repeats his opening refrain, “Weep not—weep not, / She is not dead; / She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus.”  The refrain becomes a chant that will relieve all souls of pain and headache.  Resting in the bosom of Christ will now become the aspiration for all listeners as they begin to understand truly that, “she is not dead.”  

    They will become aware that if Sister Caroline is not dead, neither will they die, when the time to leave this earth comes.  They will understand that their own souls can look forward to resting in the arms of Jesus the Christ.

  • Emily Dickinson’s “The feet of people walking home”

    Image: Emily Dickinson – Amherst College – Daguerrotype of the poet at age 17, circa 1847 – likely the only authentic, extant likeness of the poet

    Emily Dickinson’s “The feet of people walking home”

    In a uniquely dramatic way, Dickinson’s speaker reveals the simple truth that people are happier when they are on their way home.

    Introduction with Text of “The feet of people walking home”

    Emily Dickinson’s “The feet of people walking home” plays out its little drama in three octaves or eight-line stanzas.  Instead of the literal meaning of the word, “home,” this poem employs the figurative meaning as in the old hymn lyric “This World Is Not My Home.”  This Dickinson poem features highly symbolic imagery, while at times seeming to point to things of this physical world. 

    Every image works in service of supporting the claim that each human soul wears “gayer sandals” as it strides toward its permanent “home” in the abode of the Divine Creator.  Again, the Dickinsonian mysticism provides the poet’s speaker with an abundance of mystic meaning garnered from that “Bird” of hers that ventures out and returns with new melodies.

    The feet of people walking home

    The feet of people walking home
    With gayer sandals go  –
    The Crocus  – till she rises
    The Vassal of the snow  –
    The lips at Hallelujah
    Long years of practise bore
    Till bye and bye these Bargemen
    Walked singing on the shore.

    Pearls are the Diver’s farthings
    Extorted from the Sea  –
    Pinions  – the Seraph’s wagon
    Pedestrian once  – as we  –
    Night is the morning’s Canvas
    Larceny  – legacy  –
    Death, but our rapt attention
    To Immortality.

    My figures fail to tell me
    How far the Village lies  –
    Whose peasants are the angels  –
    Whose Cantons dot the skies  –
    My Classics vail their faces  –
    My faith that Dark adores  –
    Which from its solemn abbeys
    Such resurrection pours.

    Reading: 

    Commentary on “The feet of people walking home”

    In a uniquely dramatic way, Dickinson’s speaker reveals the simple truth that people are happier when they are on their way home–especially as they are making progress toward their Divine Abode.

    First Stanza:  Happier on the Way Home

    The feet of people walking home
    With gayer sandals go  –
    The Crocus  – till she rises
    The Vassal of the snow  –
    The lips at Hallelujah
    Long years of practise bore
    Till bye and bye these Bargemen
    Walked singing on the shore.

    A paraphrase of the first two lines of Dickinson’s “The feet of people walking home” might be:  People are happier when they are on their way back to the abode of the Divine Creator.  The physical earthly place called “home” serves as a metaphor for Heaven or the Divine Place where the belovèd Lord resides.  

    That “Divine Place” is ineffable, and therefore has no earthly counterpart, but for most human beings and especially for Emily Dickinson, home is the nearest thing on earth, that is, in this world to the spiritual level of being known as “Heaven.”    So according to this speaker even the shoes of people who are on their way “home” are “gayer,” happier, more peaceful, filled with delight.  

    The speaker then begins to offer support for her claim: the flower exemplified by the “Crocus” is restrained by the “snow” until it pushes up through the ground and displays it marvelous colors.   Similarly, the human soul remains restrained by maya delusion until it pushes up through the dirt of this world to reveal its true colors in God.  

    Those who have practiced meditating on the name of the Divine for many years ultimately find themselves walking and “singing on the shore” like “Bargemen,” who have come ashore after a long haul of work.

    Second Stanza:  The Value of Commodities

    Pearls are the Diver’s farthings
    Extorted from the Sea  –
    Pinions  – the Seraph’s wagon
    Pedestrian once  – as we  –
    Night is the morning’s Canvas
    Larceny  – legacy  –
    Death, but our rapt attention
    To Immortality.

    Further examples of those who are going “home” are divers for pearls who are able to “extort” those valuable commodities “from the sea.”  Again, highly symbolic is the act of diving for pearls.  The meditating devotee is diving for the pearls of love and wisdom that only the Blessed Creator provides his striving children.  

    This image is comparable to the line in the chant by Paramahansa Yogananda “Today My Mind Has Dived”:  “Today my mind has dived deep in Thee / for Thy pearls of love from my depthless sea.”  

    The metaphoric diving for pearls enlivens and strengthens the message regarding the spiritual seeker’s search for God’s wisdom and love.  In both discourses, the “sea” serves as a metaphor for the Divine.   

    The “Seraph” before getting his wings once was confined to walking, not riding in a wagon.  His wings or pinions now serve him as a useful vehicle to alleviate his need to take the shoe-leather express.  “Night” serves the “morning” as a “canvas” on which can be painted taking and giving.  

    If in dreams, the poet can see herself as a channel for providing mystic truths, she will be leaving a “legacy,” but if she has envisioned only selfish wish fulfillment, she will be committing “larceny.”   

    Therefore, as night serves morning, morning serves the soul as it allows expression to blossom.   “Death” is not the end of life, not the life of the soul, because the soul is immortal; therefore, the only purpose for death is to focus the human being’s mind on the ultimate fact of “Immortality.”  Without the duality of death vs immortality, the latter could not be grasped in the physical world on the material plane.

    Third Stanza:  Ultimate Home in Heaven

    My figures fail to tell me
    How far the Village lies  –
    Whose peasants are the angels  –
    Whose Cantons dot the skies  –
    My Classics vail their faces  –
    My faith that Dark adores  –
    Which from its solemn abbeys
    Such resurrection pours.

    The speaker now admits that she has no idea how far away the “Village” is, that is, how far or how long it will take to reach her Ultimate Home in Heaven.   But she then makes sure that her audience knows that she is indeed referring to Heaven when she asserts that Heaven’s “peasants are the angels.”  

    The souls that have already entered that Kingdom of Ineffable Reality have joined the angels.  The speaker then refers to the stars calling them “Cantons” that “dot the skies.”   The speaker is implying that the “Village” she speaks of is full of light, and the only earthly comparison is the stars in the sky.  The speaker reports that her old, established expressions have hidden themselves, as her faith remains cloistered and “solemn.”

    But from those “abbeys” of her faith, she senses that the “resurrection” of her soul is certain, as the pouring out of sunshine from a dark cloud that divides to reveal those marvelous, warm rays.

    Dickinson’s Grammar/Spelling Errors

    Some of Dickinson’s poems contain grammatical and/or spelling errors; for example, in “The feet of people walking home” in line 6,”Long years of practise bore,” she employs the British spelling—a verb form—instead of the noun form “practice,” which is actually required in this phrase.  

    Interestingly, while American English currently uses “practice” for both noun and verb, the British forms use “practice” to function as a noun and “practise” as a verb. It remains unclear why editor Thomas H. Johnson did not quietly correct that error, because he reports in the introduction to his The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, 

    I have silently corrected obvious misspelling (witheld, visiter, etc), and misplaced apostrophes (does’nt).

    However, those errors do tend to give her work a human flavor that perfection would not have rendered.

    The Metaphor of Divinity

    The impossibility of expressing the ineffable has scooped up poets of all ages.   The poet who intuits that only the Divine exists and that all Creation is simply a plethora of manifestations emanating from that Ultimate Reality has always been motivated to express that intuition.  

    But putting into words that which is beyond words remains a daunting task.   Because Dickinson was blessed with a mystic’s vision, she was able to express metaphorically her intuition that the soul of the human being is immortal, even though her sometimes awkward expressions seem to lurch forward in fits and starts.   But many of her best efforts feature the divine drama, which she often plays out in her poems.