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Villanelle
for Timothy
When chains of cold resentment in the end
Entangle souls and circle ‘round to bind,
There’s freedom in forgiveness, my dear friend.
When grievance woos the wounded to offend
And “justice” justified is anger blind,
We’re chained in cold resentment in the end.
To slay the loathsome slayer with a pen
You thought would bring you final peace of mind,
But freedom is forgiveness, my dear friend.
On death’s ill-fated threshold as you bend
With poison rage, and curse the Judge divine,
You’re chained in cold resentment in the end.
But vesper light reveals a path to wend
Where self-reproach’s shadow fades in time.
There’s freedom in forgiveness, my dear friend.
In hallowed halls of mercy, souls will mend—
Forgiveness which the unforgiving find—
Unchained from cold resentment in the end,
There’s freedom in forgiveness, my dear friend.
.
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Dan Tuton is a poet living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After an initial career as a family therapist, he has been ordained as an Episcopal priest since early in 2004. He initially served a parish in the Baltimore area for four years, and have been the Vicar, then Rector of Hope in the Desert in Albuquerque since 2007.
The books of the Bible teach the importance of forgiveness. Then there is the maxim, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Becoming unchained from the “cold resentment” is a beautiful way to show there’s “freedom in forgiveness.” I was particularly taken with the phrase, “And “justice” justified is anger blind…” I really liked your poem.
Thank you Roy! As a retired therapist, I can affirm that healing emanating from forgiveness has largely become conventional wisdom.
A superb villanelle, Dan, on an exceedingly important – and difficult – quality of character. Well done!
Thanks very much, Brian! You’re right; forgiveness can often be difficult. The mercy is that it’s a process rather than an event, and with intention it can unfold organically.
A meaningful sentiment, Dan. Thank you.
Thank you, Paul.
I very much enjoyed your villanelle Dan. Forgiveness is something we can all appreciate as very important in life. Thank you.
Thank you, Norma. The opportunities are plentiful!
I have found forgiveness to be an exceedingly tough journey – a journey that took me six long and painful years. The words of your villanelle make so much sense. They are wise and compassionate and acknowledge the pain of the wounded with firm and gentle care. I love the villanelle form and particularly appreciate your deft and subtle changes in the repeating lines, making for a smooth reading with clear meaning. A much-needed poem in times such as these – Thank you, Dan!
Susan, your feedback is deeply appreciated. I’m honored by how closely you read the poem and how thoroughly you digested its intent. Forgiveness is often quite difficult, but “forgive and forget” is, in my view, bad advice. Forgetting sometimes perpetuates victimization, whereas forgiving is the surrendering of a burden. Thanks again!
Dan, this is great! I love the villanelle form, and you’ve executed it beautifully. I’ve enjoyed the poems you’ve had published here; keep them coming!
It really is true, that I forgiveness is a chain that can only be cast off by forgiveness. Not that it’s an easy thing to do! But I think of a quote from Marcus Aurelius: “If you are pained by any external thing, it is not the thing that pains you, but your judgment of it. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now.”
Thank you, Joshua, for your comments. And I love that quote from Marcus Aurelius! Blessings to you.
Good use of the villanelle, Dan. Both “resentment” and “forgiveness” keep coming back, enabling you to offer different thoughts and images about how they interrelate. Also helps clarify one major difficulty in forgiving: the person who forgives is often tempted to take up the resentment again, and therefore forgiveness has to be a repeated act. Except for minor offenses, forgetting is not a practical possibility. But over time, sustained forgiveness turns golden for both parties.
I find one unclear expression here, “Forgiveness which the unforgiving find.” It’s set off by dashes and never connected to syntax. Since you just mentioned “halls of mercy” it could mean that even those who obstinately refuse to forgive will be forgiven by God, and that will ultimately solve their problem. I don’t think you mean that, because that would mean those who cherish the chains don’t really need to repent of resentment. Of course God’s forgiveness offered to them can be a powerful motive for them to forgive others (as in the Lord’s prayer). Or in some other way, the unforgiving finally find a willingness to forgive within themselves.
I think the villanelle form betrayed you, with its 19 lines not enough to clarify that line of thought in words, rather than by the feelings aroused in what you did write. But villanelles can have more stanzas (the longest I know of has twenty). A great example is May Probyn’s 8-stanza “In every sound I think I hear her feet,” a wonderful lament for the poet’s mother which can be read in her Poems (1881) at Internet Archive. So if you ever want to revise this villanelle, or compose another in the future, don’t feel constrained by the usual length.
Thank you very much for your helpful comments, Margaret. Two considerations may aid in clarifying my intent:
First, this was a somewhat personal poem to a now deceased friend, for whom I used the pseudonym “Timothy”. The stanzas progress from a general treatment of resentment and forgiveness (1 & 2) to the subject’s vindictive lashing out at a relative and a tirade against God (3 & 4), and concluding with a belated consideration of God’s infinite capacity for forgiveness (5 & 6), which, in retrospect, I wish I had directly spoken to “Timothy” before his death. Thus, the poem was, for me, at least somewhat cathartic.
And second, I anticipated some discomfort regarding lines 1-3 of the 6th stanza. I actually did intend to suggest that, notwithstanding Jesus’ warning about the unforgiving remaining unforgiven, our Creator gives us every possible chance to repent, even at the threshold of the “halls of mercy.” So, line 2 relates to the lines before and after it. I did intend to suggest (but not proclaim) that mercy is even capable of breaking down obstinate refusal to forgive at the end of this life.
Finally, thank you so much for informing me that villanelles can go beyond six stanzas! Had I informed myself of this, I probably could have made my intent less ambiguous to the reader.
Your deep delving into this poem is greatly appreciated, and I am already taking your constructive suggestions to heart. Thank you again!
Woops, I didn’t review my comments closely enough. Apologies for the grammatical and punctuation errors. Considering the venue, this is a bit embarrassing!
-Dan
Dan,
Let me add another positive response to your villanelle, a poetic form that is not easy to master. I appreciate the way you used contrasting sentiments to “dialogue” back and forth throughout with the positive affirmation of forgiveness being transcendent “in the end.”
Nicely done.
Thank you, James, for your encouraging feedback. The villanelle form was indeed challenging, but I enjoyed seeing it through. Blessings to you!