St. John of the Cross Poetry Reflections Part 5 Stanzas Applied Spiritually to Christ and the Soul

A long, young shepherd lived in pain,
Withdrawn from pleasure and contentment,
His thoughts fixed on a shepherd-girl,
His heart an open wound with love.

He weeps, but not from the wound of love.
There is no pain in such a wound.
However, deeply it opens the heart;
He weeps in knowing he is forgotten.

That one thought; his shining one
Has forgotten him, is such a great pain
That he gives himself up
To brutal handling in a foreign land,
His heart an open wound of love.

The Shepherd says; I pity the one
Who draws himself back from my love,
And does not seek the joy of my presence,
Though my heart is an open wound with love for him.

After a long time, he climbed a tree,
And spread his shining arms,
And hung by them, and died,
His heart an open wound of love.

These stanzas demonstrate Christ's love and the people's lack of recognition of it. It shows that the power of his love drove him to accomplish his redeeming victory on the Cross for all humanity. St. John of the Cross uses the analogy of a shepherd and a shepherd-girl to illustrate. Christ is the shepherd who lives simply "withdrawn from pleasure and contentment." The shepherd-girl is the Church, whom the thoughts of the shepherd are fixed on. Christ weeps in discontent because he feels forgotten by his people. They ignore him and do not recognize his love. No one comes to him to receive his love and the gift of eternal life won for everyone on the Cross. This, St. John states, is "his heart an open wound of love." Christ has pity on those who do not respond to his gifts of overflowing love and graces for eternal life. This causes pain in his heart and has brought about the wound. Yet, it is full of love and Christ remains ready to share it with those who have forgotten him. The Crucifixion is the great sign of his love.