Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters
Aslan’s opening proclamation of Narnia may be viewed as three statements in a chiasmus structure (a common biblical literary structure):
1) Narnia, Narnia, Narnia
2) Awake. Love. Think. Speak.
3) Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.
The first and third statements are declarative, each consisting of three parts. In the first statement each part is simply the call, “Narnia.” In the third statement, each part starts with the word, “Be.” These statements are of one theme, and are written in parallel, they define the country of Narnia. Each call “Narnia” of Aslan is fulfilled by the emergence of life and sentience in the trees, beasts, and waters.
The middle statement is a rendering of four commands each which we have examined in previous posts.
The chiastic structure emphasizes this middle verse as the purpose of the declarative statements. Narnia is sung/spoken into being so that trees, beasts, and waters can fulfill these divine imperatives.
Why does Lewis call out the trees, beasts, and waters, as the fulfillment of the call of Narnia? Aslan has already spent much time and effort on the emergence of the beasts as the human parallels of the Narnia creation story. The trees and the water (which simply appear from Aslan’s song) perhaps are meant to demonstrate that nature too reflects the Creator. In our world nature manifests God’s glory, but also, at times, His kindness or anger. Sin can cause a corruption of nature, as our Sages assert occurred in the pre-Deluge world.
In Narnia, nature is actual creatures with wisdom and free-will. Nature can actively turn against Aslan, as Mr. Beaver says of the trees that have joined “Her side,” or as the dwarfs who are forgetful after the Telmarine conquest. Interestingly, as noted in our post on dwarfs, it is the humanlike beasts who don’t forget and eventually teach the Sons of Earth to worship Aslan and awaken the trees to fight in Aslan’s army. Humanity must guard and care for nature, and ensure it lives up to its divine inspiration.
However, this environmental approach to Aslan’s statement goes beyond merely the importance of nature in Lewis’ worldview and our need to cherish it. By invoking a chiasmus structure, Lewis teaches us that all of Creation is subject to God’s commands. To be is to be commanded by God.
