A Right to be a Pilgrim

He Who Would Valiant Be (Cyberhymnal)


Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He’ll with a giant fight,
He will have a right
To be a pilgrim.

Words - John Bunyan

It is interesting how meanings can change when one observes the punctuation. Look at those first four lines from this second verse of the hymn:

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.

When read line by line it kind of passes by with little thought. But try it in prose style and note the punctuation, or lack thereof.

Whoso beset him round with dismal stories do but themselves confound; his strength the more is.

Dismal stories. Sadness. Depression. The thought seems to be that whoever tries to "beset" the Pilgrim with dismal stories in order to pull him or her from the pilgrimage will not be successful. All they will do is "confound" themselves. The Pilgrim only gets stronger. The hymn continues:

No foes shall stay his might;
though he with giants fight,
he will make good his right
to be a pilgrim.

His "right" to be a pilgrim is made good- proven- in the ability to fight with "giants."

Or perhaps if you must sit and listen to dismal stories all the time, it is like being beset with sadness and fear. Surround yourself with depressing thoughts and situations and you will end up in the same boat, unless...

The strength of the Pilgrim is found in other places and other sources. It is beyond the normal stuff of everyday life. Being a pilgrim can be its own source of strength because one is following in the ways of God.

I have to think about this one for awhile. Sounds good to me.