Easter Wings

The penultimate line of “Easter Wings,” “For, if I imp my wing on thine” (Line 19), contains a reference to the practice of falconry in the word “imp.” Falconry is an ancient practice that involves the hunting of wild animals by means of a trained bird of prey such as a falcon, hawk, or eagle. Imping is the practice of replacing a damaged feather in the bird with another feather taken from a healthy bird. The healthy feather is “imped” or grafted onto the damaged feather of the other bird. In literature, Shakespeare uses the term metaphorically in Richard II, when the Earl of Northumberland urges his followers to “imp out our drooping country’s broken wing” by rebelling against King Richard II (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 303).

Herbert’s use of the term is interesting. The meaning is clear: In terms of the image of the ascending lark presented in the first stanza, he regards his own wing as broken, because he is a sinful man. He expresses the desire that it be grafted onto the perfect wing of Christ, so he can soar high too. However, Herbert actually reverses or inverts the normal use of the term and the practice.