To Christ crucified

In To Christ Crucified, the poet expresses his faith in God and gives a vivid
depiction on his views of Christianity. He gives insight into the two main reasons
why people in his time would convert to Christianty; the lure of heaven and the fear
of hell. The poet, however, delves deeper into his faith and provides a deeper and
more thoughtful reason as to what the basis of his faith. He expresses how he is
moved by the crucifixion and the images of the Lords body wounded and torn and
that if heaven and hell were to disappear, his faith would not waver. His faith is
related to Jobs faith who quotes, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job
13:15). The poet, like Job, loves God not for the gifts that He presents, but for who
God is.
Angelus
The poem begins with a description of the bell that is located in the belfry, or bell
tower. The eye of stone refers to the tower in which the bell is located and the tear
of bronze refers to the tear like shape of the bronze bell which produces a sound like
honey to the worshippers of the church. The poem continues in its description of the
sound of the bell in the second stanza and compares the sound to a musical hyssop.
This plant is mentioned many times in the bible as an item that is used in
purification rituals. In this sense, purification is associated with the sound of the bell
which calls its worshippers to come and pray. The poem concludes describing the
belfry as a place of worship that has been used for centuries for its devout
communicants. The first communicant that the final stanza of the poem refers to is
Mary and the supreme initiation is attributed to her conception of the Son of God,
Jesus.
Peacemaker
The poem begins with the Peacemakers journey to the New World. The
Peacemaker, a clergyman by the name of Pedro de La Gasca, is described as being
different from normal commanders as he is seen wearing not armor, but clerical
robes and carrying a bible instead of a sword. The peacemaker is on a mission to
strip Gonzalo Pizarro, the first tyrant of the New World, of his power. The poem then
goes on to describe the armada encountering a storm at sea. Despite the opposing
danger, the Peacemaker is on his knees praying in the bowels of the ship for safe
passage. After he lands at shore, his men advance to take down Pizarro. On the way,
he picks up many other followers such as local town people. The Peacemakers slow
approach towards Pizarro is described as a daunting cloud increasing in size like
Gods shadow. This brings terror into Pizarros men leaving him alone and
surrendering to the Peacemaker with no violence occurring. Pizarro is finally
described as not having his golden helmet, symbolizing his loss of power, and as a
king with no kingdom. He is finally referred to as an ally of death which refers to his
eventual beheading in Lima.