19 pages • 38 minutes read

Light Shining Out of Darkness

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1773

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

Storms

There are numerous references throughout the hymn to dark, stormy, or cloudy weather. In Line 4, the speaker references this natural phenomenon directly when they relate how God “rides upon the storm.” “Clouds,” often the first sign that a storm is on its way, appear in Line 10. The storms make the “sea” (Line 3) rocky and fills those witnessing them with “dread” (Line 10). The dark imagery associated with storms can symbolize the uncertainty and apprehension individuals feel when they don’t quite understand why certain things happen in the world. The speaker makes this concept reality as turmoil literally “clouds” the sight of believers in Stanza 3. This overcast and dreary imagery contrasts with the promise of clarity and brightness that comes in the final stanzas of the poem, the promise that for everyone who trusts fully in God and believes in him, everything will make sense in the end. When the clouds “break” (Line 11), it won’t be rain that falls upon God’s followers but “blessings” (Line 12).

Blooming/Flowers

Cowper’s usage of plant imagery is in keeping with the message in his hymn that all of God’s plans will eventually be brought to life. Just as the clouds block out the sun and inhibit visibility, so too are “bud[s]” (Line 15) tightly closed, hiding the bloom within. Only with patience and nurturing will “buds” eventually blossom into “the flow’r” (Line 16). This change from unopened blooms to flowers represents the passage of time and the promise that though it may not be clear whether a bud holds a hideous weed or beautiful petals, good things come to those who wait, like the old adage says.

Mining/Mines

Associations with mines often involve tunnels and caves located deep within the bowels of the earth. They represent darkness, rocky terrain, and things hidden and unknown. For Cowper, all of these associations serve as the perfect correlation to God’s works, creations, and cosmic designs. Just as mines are “unfathomable” (Line 5) labyrinths that may prove treacherous or entrapping if delved too deeply into without proper guidance and instruction, God’s plans are equally “deep” (Line 5) and incomprehensible until God makes the paths clear to his followers. However, while mines may prove dangerous with missteps over precipices and wrong turns down maze-like tunnels, they can also harbor unspeakable riches. The veil covering God’s plans is just designed to conceal his “treasures” and “bright designs” (Line 7) until God deems humankind ready to receive them. The mine is the metaphorical receptacle of God’s “sov’reign will” (Line 8). He works in secrecy and obscurity to unearth the diamonds, gold, and jewels that are his grace and blessings for his chosen people.