Lead, Kindly Light!

-Cardinal Newman

Introduction

In this hymn, ‘Lead, Kindly Light!' Cardinal Newman appeals to God to show him light, and guide him in the right direction.

Newman's appeal to God .

The poet pleads to God to reveal his kindly light so that he could come out of the present darkness, that is his despair in life. The poet discloses to God that he has left his home (a reference to Heaven or Roman Catholic Church). Only God could help him in finding his way back home. The poet now needs God's support and enlightenment. To step into the unknown future the divine light is essential.

The poet's past and the present :

The poet confesses his present crucial condition to God and seeks his help to come out from it. He has not prayed to Him and sought His help before. The poet lived the life of his own choice. But now he has understood that without God's grace he could not do anything. He lived a luxurious, showy life in the past. At times he had moral fears but his proud character overruled them. He requests God not to take into account his past wrong deeds when he was over confident.

The poet's optimism :

The poet is optimistic that God would bless him and lead him on to a right path. The difficulties and obstacles in life could be easily overcome, if only God showered His grace upon the poet. The unpleasant dark night would soon pass away. At the dawn of new life he is sure to meet the smiling faces of angels, says the poet. Hence he needs God's guidance till his death and also after death.

Conclusion :

Through this poem, Cardinal Newman reveals his heart and mind, his despair and hope and his religious thoughts in a very profound manner. The poet's trust in God is fully evident.

Symbols

In the poem 'Lead, Kindly Light' there are more symbols that evoke a range of additional meaning. Without having to resort to painstaking explanation, Cardinal Newman uses symbols. There are both abstract and concrete symbols used in the poem. The words 'gloom' and 'dark' refer to the sad plight of the poet in which he was placed during that time. The phrase 'far from home' refers to the Roman Catholic Church. Again the phrase 'garish days' refers to the poet's showy and gaudy days in the past. The words, 'moor', Yen', 'crag' and 'torrent' are the symbols of the difficulties and obstacles that Newman had to overcome before joining the Roman Catholic Chruch.