The Gardener 75: Seek Me, Forsaking Me
The Gardener 75: Seek Me, Forsaking Me - meaning Summary
God Present in Domestic Life
The poem shows an aspiring ascetic who decides at midnight to abandon his home in search of God. Unbeknownst to him, God speaks, identifying himself through the ordinary domestic scene: the sleeping wife and infant. The man fails to hear the divine voice and presses on, while God laments that the seeker is leaving the very presence he seeks. The poem stresses that the sacred can inhabit everyday family life and criticizes futile renunciation.
Read Complete AnalysesAt midnight the would-be ascetic announced: "This is the time to give up my home and seek for God. Ah, who has held me so long in delusion here?" God whispered, "I," but the ears of the man were stopped. With a baby asleep at her breast lay his wife, peacefully sleeping on one side of the bed. The man said, "Who are ye that have fooled me so long?" The voice said again, "They are God," but he heard it not. The baby cried out in its dream, nestling close to its mother. God commanded, "Stop, fool, leave not thy home," but still he heard not. God sighed and complained, "Why does my servant wander to seek me, forsaking me?"
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