Question

Explain the lines- " We smile but oh great Christ, our cries /To thee from tortured souls arise.."​

Answer 1

Answer:

We smile, but, O great Christ, our crie

We smile, but, O great Christ, our criesTo thee from tortured souls arise. 

This line begins with the repetition of that "smile" that covers everything up, reminding us that those phony masks are the real problem.

The speaker then looks to be reaching for spiritual guidance ("O great Christ") and the chance for salvation ("souls").

 The allusion to Christ emphasizes the speaker's need for help that the world will not provide to him.

Also we see more duality in line that begins with "smile" and ends with "cries." As we move forward we start to see more of the truth behind the masks. And as we see the truth, we begin to notice that the speaker's language is becoming more emotional and distraught: "O great Christ," "cries," "tortured."

Actually the plain truth of the matter is that these are "tortured souls" that are crying for help even if they appear to "smile."So we get the sense that the speaker is meditating here on his people's plight and need for spiritual guidance without any punctuation getting in the way.