THE HIDDEN LINE

 

THE HIDDEN LINE

   (The Destiny of Men)

 

 

There is a time, we know not when,

A point we know not where,

That mark the destiny of men

To glory or despair.

 

There is a line by us unseen,

That crosses every path;

The hidden boundary between

God’s patience and his wrath.

 

To pass that limit is to die,

To die as if by stealth;

It does not quench the beaming eye,

Or pale the glow of health.

 

The conscience may be still at ease,

The spirits light and gay;

That which is pleasing till may please,

And care be thrust away.

 

But on the forehead God has set

Indelible a mark,

Unseen by man, for man as yet

Is blind and in the dark.

 

And yet the doomed man’s path below

May bloom as Eden bloomed;

He did not, does not, will not know,

Or feel that he is doomed.

 

He knows, he eels that all is well,

And every fear is calmed;

He lives, he dies, he wakes in hell,

Not only doomed, but damned.

 

Oh! Where is that mysterious bourne

By which or path is crossed;

Beyond which, God himself hath sworn,

That he who goes is lost.

 

How far may we go on in sin?

How long will God forbear?

Where does hope end, and where begin

The confines of despair?

 

An answer from the skies is sent;

“Ye that from God depart,

While it called, repent,

And harden not your heart.

 

COMMENTS

 

The author of this poem, Joseph Addison Alexander, was born in the United States on 24^th April 1809 and died there on 28^th January 1860.  He got education at The College of New Jersey, became a clergy, and as an author wrote an all-time  popular book : “The Acts of the Apostles explained”, which is selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is  part of the knowledge base of civilisation.

           

The main title of the poem, The Hidden Line, arouses a curiosity  about its intended meaning,  which the sub-title The Destiny of Men resolves to a large extent.

  

In the very first stanza , the poet says: There is an unknown time, and an unknown location,  that marks the destiny of men to glory or despair.

 

Shortly thereafter in stanza five, he says the hidden line ,that is the indelible mark, has been set  by God on the forehead, unseen by man, for man as yet is blind and in the dark.

He then points towards the invisible sinful nature of man. Man commits sins,  the ugly effect of  which is not seen in his external appearance. His conscience remains at ease and he continues to feel that all is well.

This is however an illusion. In fact, he is not only doomed but is also damned ----  condemned to death.

 

Finally, the poet warns that God’s forgiveness has an invisible end point beyond which He has sworn “That he who goes is lost.”

 

In this context, let us also look at the last two stanzas:

 

            How far we go on in sin?

            How long will God forbear?

            Where does hope end, and where begin

            The confines of despair?

           

            An answer from the skies is sent;

            “Ye that from God depart,

            While it called today, repent,

            And harden not your heart.”

 

Thus, the divine remedy for a sinner is in repenting, in controlling his heart from further hardening,  and  not in ignoring the call of the skies which tell him to give up sinning.

 

As a tailpiece, here are three quotes , one each on destiny, guilt and repentance:

 

(i)                  That which God writes on thy forehead, thou wilt come to it. ---The Holy Koran

 

(ii)                Nothing comes to pass but what God appoints---Our fate is decreed, and things do not happen by chance, but every man’s portion of joy or sorrow is predetermined. --- Seneca, Roman philosopher, died C . 65-AD.

 

(iii)              When the soul has laid down its faults at the feet of God, it feels as though  it had wings. ----E. Guerin, French author (1805-1848).

 

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8^th July 2021                                                                            G.R.Kanwal