The Inspiration of Caedmon :: Caedmon Essays

The Inspiration of Caedmon The poem Caedmon, written by Denise Levertov, enlists readers to learn more(prenominal) about God and creation and by doing so expands their understanding of the universe. At one point or another in life, people go through stages where they have no inspiration and sometimes shrink bear from something that they think is too complicated to achieve. Therefore, they are limiting themselves and their undeveloped talents, ofttimes like Caedmon was before his sudden inspiration by the messenger of God. The narration of the poet Caedmon and his sudden inspiration is recounted in the Venerable Bedes Ecclesiastical History. In the chase lines of the poem Caedmon when he is asked to contribute to the songs, he feels that it is impossible and that if he were to seek to sing, he would break their verses like a clumsy dancer each(prenominal) others talked as if talk were a dance. Clodhopper I, with clumsy feet would break the glide ring. (1575) When an yone would try to nudge him forward to contribute, he would always use the rationalise that he was a cowherd to escape the passing of the harp and lose back to the barn with the animals. He would feel content and at star sign amongst the animals where he was not forced into improvising verses to keep the banquet lively. While he is sitting amongst the animals, the event occurs that changes his life. In the following lines of Caedmon, he describes the angel that on the spur of the moment appears in front of him Until the sudden angel affrighted me - light effacing my feeble beam, a forest of torches, feathers of flame, sparks upflying (1575-76) The next few lines are in conjunction with a like event that is recounted in the Bible. In the poem Caedmon, the event is expound as follows but the cows as before were calm, and postal code was burning, nothing but I, as that hand of fire touched my lips and scorched my speech and pulled my voice into the ring of the dance . (1576) In Chapter 6, Verse 6 of Isaiah, Isaiah is told to prophesy and he is unwilling, much like Caedmon was unwilling to contribute to the passing of the harp. Isaiah has a similar experience when an angel confronts him in the following lines of the Bible