“The writing of a book may be a solitary business…it is done alone. The writer sits down with paper and pen, or typewriter, and, withdrawn from the world, tries to set down the story that is crying to be written. We write alone, but we do not write in isolation. No matter how fantastic a story line may be, it still comes out of our response to what is happening to us and to the world in which we live.” – Madeleine L’Engle
According to Madeleine L’Engle, she became a writer “as soon as [she] could hold a pencil.” Though best known for her children’s books, Madeleine L’Engle refused to be categorized as a children’s author or Christian author, insisting “I’m a writer period.” Her legacy agrees: L’Engle wrote children’s books, adult novels, essays, memoirs, and Bible commentaries as well as poetry.
Readers may recognize L’Engle as the author of A Wrinkle in Time and other time-travel, science fiction/fantasy novels. It is unsurprising that her best known work centers on time. L’Engle was a child of the Episcopal and Anglican tradition, and as such she kept the rhythm of her life according to the liturgical seasons. Her works return again and again to the themes of creation, the fall, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and notably, the Incarnation. In fact, Madeleine L’Engle wrote enough poems and Christmas pieces to fill an entire book, called Miracle on 10th Street. Through her poetry, she offers a fresh perspective on the wonder of God’s coming to earth in willing vulnerability. She reminds readers that God is still with us even in a turbulent world, and we must prepare a place for him in our hearts.
O Oriens
O come, O come Emmanuel
within this fragile vessel here to dwell.
O Child conceived by heaven’s power
give me thy strength; it is the hour.
O come, thou Wisdom from on high;
like any babe at life you cry;
for me, like any mother, birth
was hard, O light of earth.
O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
whose birth came hastily at night,
born in a stable, in blood and pain
is this the king who comes to reign?
O come, thou Rod of Jesse’s stem,
the stars will be thy diadem.
How can the infinite finite be?
Why choose, child, to be born of me?
O come, thou key of David, come,
open the door to my heart-home.
I cannot love thee as a king–
so fragile and so small a thing.
O come, thou Day-spring from on high;
I saw the signs that marked the sky,
I heard the beat of angels’ wings
I saw the shepherds and the kings.
O come, Desire of nations, be
simply a human child to me.
Let me not weep that you are born.
The night is gone. Now gleams the morn.
Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel,
God’s Son, God’s Self, with us to dwell.
“O Oriens” is a poem of contrasts. Although written from the point of view of Mary, L’Engle seems to speak through the poem as well, pleading “give me thy strength” and pondering questions such as “How can the infinite finite be?” It is difficult for L’Engle– and as she imagines, Mary– to comprehend the humble birth of the King of Heaven, the finite incarnation of an infinite God, and the omnipotence of a weak human baby. Nevertheless, Mary’s plea that Jesus “be / simply a human child to me” does not show lack of faith, but rather a willingness to put off her many questions for the moment and simply be a dutiful mother. The use of the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” as the poem’s framework adds to the creative contrasts between Jesus’ glorious heavenly reign and his humble earthly coming.
First coming
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
till hearts were pure. In joy he came…
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
Although L’Engle’s poetic style is not elaborate or grandiose, it has a great message to offer. L’Engle wrote this poem during a war, when life was in turmoil and did not have the luxury to stop for Christmas. But she reminds the reader that Jesus “did not wait till the world was ready” to save us, and neither should we wait until a more opportune Christmas season to celebrate His salvation. Even when the world is hurting in the present, there is always a reason to praise God for what he has done for us and promises to do in the future.
In whatever situation you may find yourself this holiday, may Madeleine L’Engle’s poems offer a word of wonder and consolation that Christmas is for everyone in every season. With her, I wish you a merry and glorious Christmas!
Photo Credit: https://wesleyanaccent.com/the-startling-poetry-of-madeleine-lengle/
Sources:
Madeleine, L’Engle. Miracle on 10th Street: And Other Christmas Writings. Convergent, 2019.
“Madeleine L’Engle.” The National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Humanities, 2004, https://www.neh.gov/about/awards/national-humanities-medals/madeleine-lengle.
Turner, Elizabeth Glass. “The Startling Poetry of Madeleine L’Engle.” Wesleyan Accent, Wesleyan Accent, 18 Aug. 2020, https://wesleyanaccent.com/the-startling-poetry-of-madeleine-lengle/.