The Retreat (Henry Vaughan)

The Retreat (Henry Vaughan)

Henry Vaughan, like George Herbert, belongs to the metaphysical school of the 17th century. Like Herbert, Vaughan also is a devout Christian. It would be correct to call Vaughan a true mystic. Almost all his poems deal with religious mysticism. There is a depth of thought in Vaughan. This is enriched by his powerful imagination, rich imageries, vivid description and a musical quality. Vaughan has a hermit’s soul. He is always meditating and seeing visions. This visionary quality is another special feature of Vaughan’s poetry.
The Retreat is a testimony to the deep and intensely spiritual bent of the mind of Henry Vaughan. The central idea of the poem centres round the poet’s glorification of childhood. The poet believes that during childhood man lives very near to God. The child is pure and innocent. So, he can have the glimpse of God and also of Heaven. But as the child grows up into a man, the sins of the world blind his vision and he is carried far away from God’s’abode. In this poem, the poet gives us a record of his happy memories of childhood days. Then he was as bright as an angel, and a divine light shone around him. Like a philosopher, he could then see through everything “some shadows of eternity”. In later life, the poet missed all those things. Hence, instead of advancing in years, he prays to the Almighty to grant him a backward motion. Thus, he would once again reach that blessed state when through all his body, he would feel “bright shoots of everlastingness”.
The poet wants to become pure as a child before death. He does not want that the sins and impurities of this world would go to Heaven along with him.
Thus, here we get an insight into the original ideas of Henry Vaughan. Moreover, his love for God is an intensely personal experience. He loves not only purity but also tranquility. He pictures Heaven as “shady city of palm trees”. The poet’s love of the calm beauties of Nature is quite evident here.
This poem is one of Vaughan’s most important poems. Its idea and even its expressions have greatly influenced William Wordsworth in the 19th century. The poet’s love of childhood, the child’s nearness to God, the love of nature, the rich wealth of imagery-everything is to be found in Wordsworth’s famous Ode to Immortality.
The highly picturesque imageries of this poem are all drawn from Christianity. Expressions like “Angel-infancy”, “First love”, “his bright face”, “gazing soul”, “shadows of eternity”, “bright shoots of everlastingness” show how deeply religious-minded the poet is. The poet’s power of imagination is really unique. From a minute reading of this poem, we feel that he had actually been inside the gates of Heaven. And to have got a glimpse of God was indeed a reality for him, not just a hearsay. Thus, this poem of Vaughan is, indeed, a remarkable poem from many sides.
The Retreat is a devotional lyric of Henry Vaughan. This is a poem of recollection. In it the poet describes in detail all the happy and sweet memories of his childhood. It is also a poem of mature realization. It is very much like William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience.
The poet recollects his early days when he was pure and bright as an angel. At that time his soul had nothing but “a white, celestial thought” and had not come in contact with the worldly imperfections. He gives the image of a traveller who had not gone far away from his first abode. So this traveller could see the bright face of God on looking back. In other words, the poet says that the child always lives near. God. He further points out that during infancy the child is wholly pure and innocent. Neither his tongue nor his other senses had touched the sins and vices of this world. Through his entire body a gleam of divine purity comes out.
In the second stanza, the poet visualises the “glorious brain”, the company of the happy and enlightened spirits whom he had left behind. These were the angels who were his friends during his childhood. He also remembers the scenic beauty of Heaven and wants to go back there. Heaven is pictured as a “shady city of palm trees” suggesting natural beauty, calmness and peace of mind. But although the poet is so very eager to go back he is doubtful whether he would be able to reach that kingdom. He realises his own shortcomings and confesses that,
But, at, my soul with too much stay,
Is drunk, and staggers in the way.
Staying in this world for long has made him worldly minded. He has lost his innocence of purity. On the other hand, he has developed sin, guilt and vice. His conscience has become sinful, and so are his senses. Thus, he is intoxicated with the impurities of the world. That is why he finds it difficult to return to his original abode. So he finally prays to the Almighty for an unusual gift. He wants to regain his boyhood, once again. Because in that case, he hopes to be free from all sins and vices. And he wants to return to God in that original state of “angel infancy”.
The style of the poem is very remarkable. The lines have a rich musical quality which makes the meaning all the more clear. There is also a refreshing quality about the images chosen. It is a highly suggestive style. We have to visualise things in order to appreciate the charm of the style. Expressions like “gazing soul” the soul being drank staggering on the way, “the ancient track” leading to the “shady city of palm trees” show how rich is the poet’s power of imagination and vivid description.

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