This essay seeks to establish the wide-ranging significance of a motif which is fundamental to our understanding of R.S. Thomas's life and work. Whereas the poet's treatment of the cross has been well documented, his less obvious use of the outstretched or clasped hand as an emblem of the enigmatic, wordless search for communication and meaning has gone virtually unnoticed. while it has its origins in the early stages of Thomas's poetic career, the motif is at its most prominent in his later work, where it reflects his increasingly apophatic conception of God and, in particluar, his...

This essay seeks to establish the wide-ranging significance of a motif which is fundamental to our understanding of R.S. Thomas's life and work. Whereas the poet's treatment of the cross has been well documented, his less obvious use of the outstretched or clasped hand as an emblem of the enigmatic, wordless search for communication and meaning has gone virtually unnoticed. while it has its origins in the early stages of Thomas's poetic career, the motif is at its most prominent in his later work, where it reflects his increasingly apophatic conception of God and, in particluar, his awareness of the divine as the source of love.