CHAPTER 6
THE CALL
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
And such a Life, as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joyes in love.55
In The Call, Herbert lays out an artfully ordered prayer, inviting the Lord, in his
many aspects, to come and to be with him. The Call is severely schematic, both in
meter and thought units. The meter is trochaic, with an omitted unstressed syllable at the
end of each line, forming catalectic trochaic lines. The only divergence from this scheme
occurs in the final line of the first stanza, with the addition of And. Incidentally,
Vaughan Williams takes the liberty to remove And and follows the pattern of the
preceding two lines.
The Trinitarian elements of this poem are obvious, with three stanzas each
describing three qualities of Christ. The first stanza offers Christs own claims as the
way, the truth, and the life,56 providing a threefold description of regeneration. The
Way which gives breath clears a passageway for breathing. Truth ends the strife
of psychological warfare, settling doubts. Life defeats death.
Just as the first stanza presents the regenerating qualities of Christ, the second
verse describes his illuminating and sustaining powers. The metaphor is that of a feast.
55
Patrides, 164.
56
John 14:6
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The Light reveals the feast to the guest. The Feast, which mends, or gets better
with time, provides strength. The Strength enables the speaker to be what he needs to
be, a guest, providing him with his required identity. The third stanza is the result of the
first and second, describing the effects of Christs work. The Joy described is
immovable, alluding to John 16:22: and your joy no man taketh from you. This joy is
not characterized by the ups and downs of an emotional state but is rather a constant
possession based in knowledge. The enduring nature of Love may be a reference to
Song of Solomon 8:7: Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown
it. Herbert masterfully closes the stanza by combining the first two elements in the
third: Such a Heart, as joyes in love.
In Vaughan Williamss setting of The Call we find again the importance of the
melisma to add interest to the regularity of the poems meter. The first two verses are
virtually the same in the vocal line; however, the accompaniment differs harmonically in
the second verse. The songs meter is triple throughout, supporting the lyricism of the
poem. Each significant final accented syllable of every line is placed on the first and
strongest beat of the measure. In this way, Vaughan Williams ensures that these
important nouns receive sufficient emphasis. The first such example is the placement of
Life. (Ex. 23)
Example 23 (mm. 2-5a)
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Melismas occur in the final lines of each verse, always in conjunction with the
verbs. The striking melisma on killeth in the first stanza gives great importance to the
word and is echoed in the second verse on makes. (Ex. 24)
Example 24 (mm. 10-11)
In both the first and the second verses, Vaughan Williams signals the end of the
stanza with a 9/4 bar to add finality. The third verse accelerates and strengthens to forte,
expressing an emotional response. Its first and second lines are musically sequential and
lead to a climactic melisma on none. Unlike the previous two stanzas, the third stanza
contains two melismasthe first as a climax, and the second as the resolution. The latter
melisma of the third stanza repeats exactly the melismas of the first and second verses,
with a return to the initial tempo and with a reverent tranquillo marking. A particularly
notable decision by Vaughan Williams is his setting of the penultimate line. The dotted
half note assigned to as contrasts with all other settings of the word, which are quarter
notes. (Ex. 25)
Example 25 (mm. 28-29)
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Such an extended note value underscores the gravity of the poetic line.
Vaughan Williamss strophic setting of The Call is straightforward and
concise, paying tribute to Herberts style and form. But within such clarity of musical
setting, rhythmic nuances appear that add interest to a very regular poetic meter.
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