The Speaker

The speaker of the poem is unnamed, with no particular gender or other defining features. In this way, the speaker comes to represent humanity in general, specifically Christians who are plagued by feelings of religious inadequacy. This notion of unworthiness is a common theme in Herbert's poetry, and he would often write from the perspective of someone who was frustrated by but nonetheless dedicated to their service to God. In this particular poem, the speaker expresses doubt over their admittance into Heaven and is reminded by God that divine love is unconditional and boundless.

Love/God

The poem is a dramatization of a conversation between a Christian speaker and "Love," or God. In the poem God is portrayed as both a hospitable host and a romantic lover, a conflation that appeared frequently in metaphysical poetry of the seventeenth century. God reminds the speaker throughout the poem that...