The Retreat
By Henry Vaughan
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;
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;
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.
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.
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.
Summary of The Retreat
- Popularity of “The Retreat”: The poem, ‘The Retreat’ written by Henry Vaughan, a popular Welsh poet of the metaphysical school of poets. It is an interesting classic piece about the loss of the angelic period of childhood. The poem first appeared in his collection, Silex Scintillans, published in 1650. The uniqueness of the poetic piece lies in the poet’s nostalgia about the lost childhood.
- “The Retreat” As a Representative of Childhood Innocence: The poem opens with the poet’s nostalgic tone, reflecting on his childhood, referred to as “angel infancy.” As time marches on, those memories keep coming back, giving him glimpses of his early “celestial thoughts.” He believes he once had a connection with God back then when his soul was pure, and he could see God’s radiant presence. He recalls the blessings of his childhood, like the beauty of nature, innocent conversations, and the freedom of endless time. Now, he’s filled with nostalgia for that angelic period. Filled with a sense of nostalgia and regret, he lets out a sigh and shares his deep yearning to revisit the past. He longs to revisit those hours when he could enjoy the shade of trees and the fresh breeze. Unlike those who strive to progress, he desires to move backward and relive that state of blissfulness once more. The memories of his innocent past continue to hold a special place in his heart.
- Major Themes in “The Retreat”: Innocence of childhood, recollections of childhood, and nostalgia of the past are three major thematic strands of the poem. The poet’s longing for the innocence of childhood is made evident through his depiction of it as “angel infancy,” where one can behold the radiant visage of God and perceive every flower as adorned with celestial joy. That time seems to him wrapped in eternity. The poet’s angelic childhood makes him yearn to go back in time instead of moving forward. He wishes to leave the present behind and return to his childhood.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Retreat
literary devices are crucial for creating beautiful and engaging writing. The analysis of these devices in the poem is given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “Shined in my angel infancy”, the sound of /ee/ in “And in those weaker glories spy” and the sound of /e/ in “A several sin to every sense”.
- Alliteration: It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words, such as /s/ in “sinful sound”, and again /s/ in “several sin”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /m/ and /r/ in “A mile or two from my first love” and the sound of /t/ in “Before I taught my tongue to wound”.
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
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.
- Exclamation: The poet uses exclamations such as “Happy those early days!” and “O, how I long to travel back, / And tread again that ancient track!”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “And tread again that ancient track!”, “That shady city of palm trees” and “And when this dust falls to the urn.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of the metaphors of childhood and soul as if the childhood is a lady and the soul is some living person.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poet uses the symbols of flowers, souls, and tongues to differentiate between the angelic childhood and corrupt adulthood.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Retreat
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the AABB rhyme scheme until the end of the poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are two unequal stanzas; the first having 20 verses, while the second has 12 verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “The Retreat” are relevant to use during a motivational speech about the great work to be started.
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