THE LOOM OF TIME
“The Loom of Time” is an anonymous
poem. It has been regarded as one of the best loved poetic creations since long
ago. It is related to man’s life and God
the creator of human life.
The phrase ‘loom of time’ has been
used metaphorically. It stands for a web of different colours the pattern of
which is known only to God who is the planner of that web.
God does not reveal the above-mentioned
pattern and its significance “till each
loom is silent, and the shuttles cease to fly.”
According to a literary critic the
poem explores the themes of time, fate, and the interconnectedness of life’s
experiences.
As for the metaphor of weaving, it
has been used to illustrate how all events, both positive and negative,
contribute to the larger pattern of human destiny.
On the whole, the poem emphasizes
that life’s meaning is revealed through the totality of experiences, including the
importance of both joy and sorrow.
What follows the full text of the
poem.
Man’s life is laid in the loom of
time
To a pattern he does not see,
While the weavers work and the
shutters fly
Till the dawn of eternity.
Some shuttles are filled with silver
threads
And some with threads of gold,
While often but the darker hues
Are all that they may hold.
But the weaver watches with skilful
eye
Each shuttle fly to and fro,
And sees the pattern so deftly
wrought
As the loom moves sure and slow.
God surely planned the pattern:
Each thread, the dark and fair,
Is chosen by His master skill
And placed in the web with care.
He only knows its beauty,
And guides the shuttles which hold
The threads so unattractive,
As well as the threads of gold.
Not till each loom is silent,
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Shall God reveal the pattern
And explain the reason why
The dark threads were so needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
For the pattern which He planned.
*******
G.R.Kanwal
3rd July 2025
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