Up-Hill Flashcards
responder
The responder answers the question asked in the previous line. This may be the Jesus figure suggested in the song bio; an omniscient figure who has soothing, comforting answers to every question.
friend
Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
The reference to ‘my friend’ could be an allusion to the Gospel of John 15:14 – 15, in which Jesus says,
You are my friends if you do what I command.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
The first word of the second stanza begins with the conjunction ‘But’, an indication of doubt.
The ‘slow dark hours’ may be a metaphor for life phases when personal troubles or doubts challenge the traveller. The ‘inn’ suggests the emotional comfort and ‘shelter’ that Jesus brings. The word ‘inn’ itself is resonant of the nativity story, where Jesus was born. Note also that this phrase has long vowels and is difficult to say quickly, reflecting the meaning.
Alternatively the inn may be the destination, the heaven that is the ultimate aim. So the ‘the slow dark hours begin’ could be the moments before death. The roof suggests the idea of protection, a place to rest in peace at the end of life. The responder is, of course, reassuring throughout,
shall
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
‘Wayfarers’ refers to travellers on the road of life.
The nervous speaker wonders if he is alone in his doubts and troubles. It suggests that sharing the journey with others is in itself a comfort. The reassuring answer comes as always.
gone
those who have gone before
The second speaker answers that he will meet those who have ‘gone before’, that is have experience of the journey of life. In other words, it is a process shared by all humanity.
As the inn represents heaven, this could suggest that the ‘wayfarers’ have died.
+0
The second speaker answers that he will meet those who have ‘gone before’, that is have experience of the journey of life. In other words, it is a process shared by all humanity.
As the inn represents heaven, this could suggest that the ‘wayfarers’ have died.
The speaker asks if he has to do anything special to get into heaven. Must God be reminded? He is assured that he will not be let down, left standing at heaven´s door.
The pronoun ‘that’ suggests that this door is special and, by implication, there may be other doors, perhaps leading to hell.
‘Heaven´s door’ is a commonly used expression, which appears in songs and poems. Rossetti uses the imagery of doors frequently, for example, in her poem Shut out. It is an idea that seems to fascinate her, perhaps signifying her own fears and doubt about God and her acceptability in religious terms for heaven..
Of labour you shall find the sum.
This may mean that the sum of all labour on earth will be considered to test the traveller’s suitability for heaven..
It could also mean that the speaker will find rest in heaven for all the work you have done in life.
beds
will there be beds for me and all who seek?
There is an ambiguity here. The speaker is reassured that he is able to find a place in heaven. But how does this fit with the idea of his suitability and his ongoing doubts? It is certainly contrary to the idea of original sin and predestination, where one’s salvation or damnation are pre-determined. In Rossetti’s religious world all are eligible.
This certainly gives the responder an aura of supernatural power. He seems to know the nature of heaven; a Christ-like figure.
There is a contradiction in Mathhew 19:24 where Jesus says,
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
But there is no resolution to this in the poem. The speaker, despite the trials of life, may be rich, but all are still eligible.
yea
Yea, beds for all who come.
ethics problemo
It is a powerful statement. It leaves no doubt that there is a place in heaven for everybody, if they seek it. The implication is that trust and faith are all that matter.
