Rabbi Ben Ezra - Robert Browning
An Uplifting Reflection on Faith, Aging, and Spiritual Fulfillment
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”
Not that, amassing flowers,
Youth sighed, “Which rose make ours,
Which lily leave and then as best recall?”
Not that, admiring stars,
It yearned, “Nor Jove, nor Mars;
Mine be some figured flame which blends, transcends them all!”
Not for such hopes and fears
Annulling youth’s brief years,
Do I remonstrate: folly wide the mark!
Rather I prize the doubt
Low kinds exist without,
Finished and finite clods, untroubled by a spark.
Poor vaunt of life indeed,
Were man but formed to feed
On joy, to solely seek and find and feast;
Such feasting ended, then
As sure an end to men;
Irks care the crop-full bird? Frets doubt the maw-crammed beast?
Rejoice we are allied
To That which doth provide
And not partake, effect and not receive!
A spark disturbs our clod;
Nearer we hold of God
Who gives, than of His tribes that take, I must believe.
Then, welcome each rebuff
That turns earth’s smoothness rough,
Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand but go!
Be our joys three-parts pain!
Strive, and hold cheap the strain;
Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe!
For thence,—a paradox
Which comforts while it mocks,—
Shall life succeed in that it seems to fail:
What I aspired to be,
And was not, comforts me:
A brute I might have been, but would not sink i’ the scale.
What is he but a brute
Whose flesh hath soul to suit,
Whose spirit works lest arms and legs want play?
To man, propose this test—
Thy body at its best,
How far can that project thy soul on its lone way?
Yet gifts should prove their use:
I own the Past profuse
Of power each side, perfection every turn:
Eyes, ears took in their dole,
Brain treasured up the whole;
Should not the Present work to shape the Future’s earn?
And who shall question me?
It is the faith’s decree
That which for us the Future holds in store
We shall not see at once;
But, as new lessons dawn,
Dimmer shall some old knowledge grow, some aspect fade the more.
If we survive, succeed,
What shall scathe us indeed?
'T is we shall face the storm, not baffled so:
But if we fall, we fall:
Though let us think, for all,
The eternal vantage gained, will not be let go.
Ay, note that Potter’s wheel,
That metaphor! and feel
Why time spins fast, why passive lies our clay,—
Thou, to whom fools propound,
When the wine makes its round,
“Since life fleets, all is change; the Past gone, seize to-day!”
Fool! All that is, at all,
Lasts ever, past recall;
Earth changes, but thy soul and God stand sure:
What entered into thee,
That was, is, and shall be:
Time’s wheel runs back or stops: Potter and clay endure.
He fixed thee mid this dance
Of plastic circumstance,
This Present, thou, forsooth, would fain arrest:
Machinery just meant
To give thy soul its bent,
Try thee and turn thee forth, sufficiently impressed.
What though the earlier grooves
Which ran the laughing loves
Around thy base, no longer pause and press?
What though about thy rim,
Skull-things in order grim
Grow out, in graver mood, obey the sterner stress?
Look not thou down but up!
To uses of a cup,
The festal board, lamp’s flash and trumpet’s peal,
The new wine’s foaming flow,
The Master’s lips aglow!
Thou, heaven’s consummate cup, what needst thou with earth’s wheel?
But I need, now as then,
Thee, God, who mouldest men;
And since, not even while the whirl was worst,
Did I,—to the wheel of life
With shapes and colours rife,
Bound dizzily,—mistake my end, to slake Thy thirst:
So take and use Thy work:
Amend what flaws may lurk,
What strain o’ the stuff, what warpings past the aim!
My times be in Thy hand!
Perfect the cup as planned!
Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same!
In this piece, Robert Browning assumes the voice of the wise Rabbi Ben Ezra, who speaks about life’s journey, the passage of time, and humanity’s ongoing development under divine guidance. The central message emphasizes that aging is not a decline but a continued unfolding of our true potential. The poem begins with the well-known exhortation, “Grow old along with me!” which suggests that our later years are not lesser but in fact lead us toward a deeper understanding of life’s purpose.
A recurring theme is the concept of life as a shaping process—likened to clay on the potter’s wheel—where each challenge we face can be seen as an opportunity for growth. Instead of fearing hardship, the poem urges us to accept the rough edges and pains that spur our progress. Browning’s speaker believes that striving and struggling are essential, because they align us more closely with a divine plan and keep our souls from stagnating.
Throughout the poem, the speaker contrasts humankind’s unique capacity for aspiration with the simpler existence of animals. We, unlike brutes, can wrestle with complex questions of purpose and meaning. Even our disappointments or shortcomings serve a constructive role in shaping character and understanding. This paradox—that frustration may lead us to greater insight—is woven into the poem’s comforting tone: perceived failures in life can actually become steps on the path to personal and spiritual fulfillment.
Browning also stresses the importance of trusting in God’s design. The speaker insists that we are “nearer to God” for giving rather than merely taking—implying that a meaningful life draws from divine creative power by continually striving, learning, and improving. Ultimately, the poem assures us that life’s trials and the process of aging are part of a grander, beautiful pattern.
“Rabbi Ben Ezra” encourages us to focus on the spiritual and moral growth that comes with age and experience. Far from being a time of decline, later years become a stage wherein life’s lessons coalesce into wisdom. Though the poem acknowledges our imperfections, it ultimately celebrates the perspective gained by seeing ourselves as works in progress, guided by a benevolent force that shapes and perfects our existence over time.
Key points
• Aging is a vital, constructive phase rather than a decline.
• Struggle and hardship help refine our character and spur growth.
• Faith in a divine plan can turn life’s trials into a means for spiritual development.
• Our unique ability to aspire sets humanity apart and opens a path to deeper insight.
• Ultimately, the poem calls us to trust that our lives, like clay, are being shaped toward a greater purpose.