St Ignatius College - Ignatian Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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POPE'S' MESSIAH 65 The boldness of the figures, the beauty and sublimity of the sentiments and the gracefulness with which Pope renders them into English are ample justification of the poet's claim that the images and descriptions of the prophet, are far superior to those of the poet. Pope moreover had another advantage over Virgil even if we were to concede that the latter had drawn his thoughts from Isaias either directly, which is not at all probable or indirectly, through the Sibyl, which according to some is probable. John the Baptist lived and preached and spoke so glowingly of the coming Messias, after Virgil was in the tomb. That Pope availed himself of this additional advantage will appear in the following lines: Hark! a glad voice the lonely desert cheers: Prepare the way! a God, a God appears! A God, a God! the vocal hills reply, The rocks proclaim the approaching Deity. Lo earth receives Him from the bending skies! Sink down ye mountains and ye valleys riseg With heads declined, ye cedars, homage payg Be smooth, ye rocks, ye rapid floods give way! Thus in announcing the coming of the Child, Pope has a decided advantage over his pagan model by reason of his more thorough and more extensive acquaintance with the inspired writings. In describing the benefits which are to follow upon His birth Pope is again at an advantage. The ancient bard, wrapt up in pagan expectations, sings of the sturdy ploughman releasing his oxen from the yoke, of the ram changing the color of his fleece now into sweet-blushing purple, now into saffron hue, while Pope delays upon the attributes of Christ, the Prince of Peace. If No more shall nation against nation rise, Nor ardent warriors meet with hateful eyes, Nor fields with gleaming steel be covered o'er, The brazen trumpets kindle rage no more, But useless lances into scythes shall bend, And the broad falchion in a plowshare end. To gain a more complete idea of this beautiful poem, we may divide the Messiah into three parts or phases.

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64 IGNATIAN the child is Christ. As there were many Jews residing at Rome at that time, it is quite probable that Virgil heard of their expectation of the Messiah. In the pages of other ancient authors, moreover, we read of a general expectation throughout Italy of one who would introduce the second Golden Era. In his Pollio, without any definite person in view, Virgil may have given voice to this general hope. Dur- ing the time of the early Church, it was commonly believed that Virgil was the unconscious instrument of inspired prophecy. It is generally admitted now that though he drew his in- spiration from the Cumean Sibyl and that she in her tum may have been inspired by the sacred writings, Virgil him- self had no direct intention of referring to a supernatural birth. True, he speaks of the Virgin and of the Child sent down from Heaven and characterizes him as a Prince of Peace and delays upon the benefit of his reign, still, strangely significant as the expressions are and gratifying as it would be to trace the source of his inspiration to the prophetic writers, we must be content with admiring the beauty which his poem has by reason of its similarity to what might have been written had he really been, as he only probably was, inspired by the reading of Messianic prophe- cies. We must look to Pope's imitation of Virgil if we want to enjoy a pastoral dealing directly with the birth of Christ. The Latin poet, whatever his inspiration, gives us a pic- ture of a helpless child, and calls upon the heathen deities to be propitious. Pope, with a deep sense of the Divinity, addresses himself directly to the Child: Swift Hy the years, and rise the expected morn! O spring to life, auspicious Babe, be born! See, Nature hastes her earliest wreaths to bring, With all the incense of the breathing spring, See lofty Lebanon his head advance, See nodding forests on the mountain danceg See spicy clouds from lowly Saron rise And Carmel's flowering top perfume the skies!

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66 IGNATIAN In the first, we find that Pope is but the imitator or trans- lator of Virgil 5 in the second, we admire his poetical transla- tions of the Scriptures, and thirdly, the modern poet, re- lying not upon inspirations drawn from common sources, gives full play to his own poetical fancies. In all three phases Pope has succeeded admirably. In his apt selec- tion of such passages from the Scriptures as would beau- tify his poem, Pope shows himself a master. The flour- ishing of Christ's kingdom, the secure and happy path to salvation He has pointed out to us, lend themselves readily to pastoral figures, comparing favorably with the peace and happiness of rural life. And what beautiful translations of Scriptural verses Pope has given us! Isaias says: Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstoppedf' Pope expresses the same thought thus: H The Savior comes! by ancient bards foretold! Hear Him ye deaf, and all ye blind behold! He from thick films shall purge the visual ray, And on the sightless eyeball pour the dayg 'Tis He th' obstructed paths of sound shall clear, And bid new music charm th' unfolding ear. The dumb shall sing, the lame his crutch forego. And leap exulting like the bounding roe. In beautiful and majestic language that flows from Pope's own pen, at the close of the poem, all nature is commanded to bowdown in reverence before the Savior. And God's glory shall be supreme. He is addressing Israel: No more the rising sun shall gild the morn, Nor evening Cynthia fill her silver horn, But lost, dissolved in thy superior rays, One tide of glory, one unclouded blaze O'erflow thy courts .... The seas shall waste, the skies in smoke decay, Rocks fall to dust and mountains melt away, But fixed His word, His saving power remains 3- Thy realm forever lasts, thy own Messiah reigns.