St. John of the Cross: Mystical Poetry and Themes
St. John of the Cross: Mystical Poetry
St. John of the Cross’s poetry, though concise, holds a significant place in universal lyrical works. His poetic production explores the experience of mystical union with God. This union is expressed symbolically: a woman (the soul) searches for her beloved (God) through nature, which reflects divine love. She finds and merges with God in a poetic ecstasy of love.
Works
Among his works are short poems of popular character and three major poems:
- Spiritual Canticle: Closely follows the Song of Songs from the Bible. It is structured as a pastoral dialogue between the beloved and the lover, whom she seeks through valleys and mountains.
- Dark Night: Consists of eight lines in which the beloved, after leaving her home disguised in the night, unites in mystical ecstasy with her loved one.
- Living Flame of Love: Expresses loving feelings experienced at the union of the beloved.
Style
Three influences are evident in his style:
- Folk poetry and songbooks
- Cultured Italianate poetry
- Biblical poetry
He draws from popular themes, motifs, shapes, and choruses. From Italian poetry, he adopts the use of hendecasyllables and the lira. He also incorporates images from the Bible, emphasizing the religious meaning of this “divine poetry.”
Characteristics
The formal characteristics of his poetry include the use of nouns and a scarcity of adjectives, which almost always appear after the noun. The lexicon alternates between words with Latinate roots and popular words. The metaphor of human love is central to his poetry, reflecting the author’s belief in the impossibility of fully transmitting or explaining the mystical experience.
St. John of the Cross’s poetry, though concise, holds a significant place in universal lyrical works. His poetic production explores the experience of mystical union with God. This union is expressed symbolically: a woman (the soul) searches for her beloved (God) through nature, which reflects divine love. She finds and merges with God in a poetic ecstasy of love.
Among his works are short poems of popular character and three major poems:
- Spiritual Canticle: Closely follows the Song of Songs from the Bible. It is structured as a pastoral dialogue between the beloved and the lover, whom she seeks through valleys and mountains.
- Dark Night: Consists of eight lines in which the beloved, after leaving her home disguised in the night, unites in mystical ecstasy with her loved one.
- Living Flame of Love: Expresses loving feelings experienced at the junction of the beloved.
Three influences are evident in his style:
- Folk poetry and songbooks
- Cultured Italianate poetry
- Biblical poetry
He draws from popular themes, motifs, shapes, and choruses. From Italian poetry, he adopts the use of hendecasyllables and the lira. He also incorporates images from the Bible, emphasizing the religious meaning of this “divine poetry.”
The formal characteristics of his poetry include the use of nouns and a scarcity of adjectives, which almost always appear after the noun. The lexicon alternates between words with Latinate roots and popular words. The metaphor of human love is basic to their poetry, reflecting the author’s belief in the impossibility of fully transmitting or explaining the mystical experience.