As its title suggests, "Love (III)" is the third and final of a sequence of poems on love—more particularly, God's love—by Welsh poet George Herbert (1593-1633). These poems appeared in Herbert's great posthumous collection The Temple (1633), an influential book of Christian poetry in which Herbert explores the trials and blisses of belief. This poem is the last that appears in the collection. Through its image of God as an affectionate host inviting a shamefaced soul to the dinner table, "Love (III)" sums up one of the simplest (and yet most challenging) principles of Christianity: you don't have to have a spotless soul, the poem insists, for God to love and forgive you.
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The Full Text of “Love (III)”
1Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
2 Guilty of dust and sin.
3But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
4 From my first entrance in,
5Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
6 If I lacked anything.
7A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
8 Love said, You shall be he.
9I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
10 I cannot look on thee.
11Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
12 Who made the eyes but I?
13Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame
14 Go where it doth deserve.
15And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
16 My dear, then I will serve.
17You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat.
18 So I did sit and eat.
The Full Text of “Love (III)”
1Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
2 Guilty of dust and sin.
3But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
4 From my first entrance in,
5Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
6 If I lacked anything.
7A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
8 Love said, You shall be he.
9I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
10 I cannot look on thee.
11Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
12 Who made the eyes but I?
13Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame
14 Go where it doth deserve.
15And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
16 My dear, then I will serve.
17You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat.
18 So I did sit and eat.
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“Love (III)” Summary
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“Love (III)” Themes
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God's Love and Forgiveness
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Love (III)”
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Lines 1-6
Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked anything. -
Lines 7-12
A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I? -
Lines 13-16
Truth, Lord; but I have marred them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve. -
Lines 17-18
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat.
So I did sit and eat.
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“Love (III)” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Conceit
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Rhetorical Question
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Allusion
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Alliteration
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“Love (III)” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Bade me welcome
- Slack
- Marred
- Doth
- Bore
- Meat
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- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Love (III)”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Love (III)” Speaker
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“Love (III)” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Love (III)”
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More “Love (III)” Resources
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External Resources
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Herbert's life and work.
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The Temple — Learn about The Temple, the important posthumous collection in which this poem is the final word.
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Herbert's Legacy — Read contemporary poet Wendy Cope's appreciation of Herbert.
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to the notable monk Thomas Merton reading the poem aloud.
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The George Herbert Society — Learn much more about Herbert (and see images of his church) via the Herbert Society.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by George Herbert
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