The Altar Summary

The poem begins with the speaker declaring that he is raising an altar to God. However, this is not just any altar. It is one “[m]ade of a heart, and cemented by tears” (line 2). The speaker asserts that no human tools were used to create this altar/heart. All of its “parts” are just as God made them (3). In the middle section, the speaker asserts that the human heart is a kind of stone that only God has the power to cut. However “hard” or imperfect the speaker’s heart may be, its purpose is to praise God. The speaker says that even if he dies one day, the altar/heart that he is raising to God will continue to offer praise. He ends the poem by asking God to accept his “sacrifice” and sanctify the altar (15). By the time we reach the final lines of the poem, it is unclear whether the altar refers to a literal altar made of stones, the speaker’s “hard” heart, or even the poem itself (which is shaped like an altar, composed of words, and “cemented with tears”). The poetic power of “The Altar” comes from this expansion of what an altar is and what it means.

The Altar

by George Herbert

The Altar Summary

The Altar Questions and Answers

Study Guide for The Altar