The Retreat by Henry Vaughan | Summary, Analysis

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The Retreat is a much talked about a metaphysical poem by Henry Vaughan whose title itself is a prime example of metaphysical conceit. A retreat can have two meanings, the first is to hide or run away from one’s life, and the other is to go back to a happier place. The poet means both at different stages of the poem. The theme of the poem is the purity of childhood and infancy. The poet glorifies infancy as the purest stage of a man’s life. The poet mourns for the lost days of his childhood and wishes to return to older times of his ‘angel infancy when he was far away from the dark forces of the world.

Currently, he is worried about his own life, emotions, and sinful behavior. He is concerned about his sinful behavior that was not even thought of when he was a child.

In the final lines of the poem, the poet describes his probable death and how he will return to the dust of the earth. It won’t be a disaster as the poet suggests that it will be a penultimate ending before he could return to his angelic innocent previous life.

Structure of the poem

This is a short 32 lines poem arranged in a single stanza. The alternative lines are arranged in iambic and trochaic meters. The poem uses rhetoric, conceit, metaphors, metonymy, alliteration, and paradox.

Summary

Lines 1–6

Happy those early days! when I

Shined in my angel infancy.

Before I understood this place

Appointed for my second race,

Or taught my soul to fancy aught

But a white, celestial thought;

The poet begins with appreciating his childhood days as he remembers the old time. He represents his infancy, his childhood as angelic. Then he explains his current situation. He says that the place he now shows him all the dark sinful corners of the world. When he was young, he used to cherish his angelic thoughts and he never even realized that those were celestial, divine. But now it takes strong efforts to think as clearly as he used to.

Lines 7-14

When yet I had not walked above

A mile or two from my first love,

And looking back, at that short space,

Could see a glimpse of His bright face;

When on some gilded cloud or flower

My gazing soul would dwell an hour,

And in those weaker glories spy

Some shadows of eternity;

The poet continues to describe the happiness that he cherished during his childhood. During his younger age when he hadn’t walked more than a mile or two away from his home, his first love, the poet says that he was able to see the almighty’s face and grace. It was a period when his mind remained calm and he never worried about anything. He could spend hours while praising the natural beauty of some white fluffy cloud or a flower.

In the next two lines, the poet suggests that in those moments of calmness when he could feel no worries, though those moments were short, they appeared like an eternity. They were only shadows, but very precious.

Lines 15-20

Before I taught my tongue to wound

My conscience with a sinful sound,

Or had the black art to dispense

A several sin to every sense,

But felt through all this fleshly dress

Bright shoots of everlastingness.

The poet further describes the goodness of childhood. When he was young, he didn’t need to worry much about what he spoke or express as he hardly said anything that would harm his own conscience, he cherished that innocence. He never cared about what is morally right or wrong, he just lived as a free soul. However, as he grew up, the ‘black art’ tainted his emotions. As a young person, he didn’t worry about whatever he experienced and felt and if it was sinful. Now when he has grown up, he is aware of the nature of his own emotions and it bothers him. When he was young, he never felt any guilty thoughts about his body his existence (fleshy dress), rather he thought that he will always remain young and invigorating as if his youth is everlasting.

Lines 21-26

O, how I long to travel back,

And tread again that ancient track!

That I might once more reach that plain

Where first I left my glorious train,

From whence th’ enlightened spirit sees

That shady city of palm trees.

In these lines, the poet expresses his strong desire to return to the good old days of his childhood, youth. He makes an exclamation “O, how I long to travel back” (to the past). The poet is convinced that his past life was way better. So he would like to relive while giving up his current life. While it is impossible, the poet says that if it could be possible, that he will be able to reach the place where he left his ‘glorious train,’ his previous innocent carefree being. The poet is aware of the exact position of place where he left it too. He knows that he left his previous being on the hillside where his ‘enlightened spirit’ resides. ‘Enlightened spirit’ is his innocent angelic childhood which can see the city of palm trees where his previous being rests.

Lines 27-32

But, ah! my soul with too much stay

Is drunk, and staggers in the way.

Some men a forward motion love;

But I by backward steps would move,

And when this dust falls to the urn,

In that state I came, return.

In the next lines, the poet laments his inability to return to the past and achieve his previous self when he was innocent youth. The memories of the good old days have affected him much and he feels as if he is drunk. Even if he tries to turn back to his youth, he will stagger and fail. The poet then says that some people prefer moving forward but he wants to go back and attain his innocence again. In the last two lines, the poet describes how he will die and how his death will bring him closer to his innocent being as he will return to the same innocence that he has when he was an infant. These lines support the idea of Afterlife.

The Retreat is a religious poem in which the poet suggests that the societal norms have corrupted his soul and he longs to attain the purity of innocent spirituality again.

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