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The poet indicates the angel like innocence and brightness of his infancy before
growing up into maturity. The earthly life is only second race while his Home is
Heaven. Childhood period is the most blessed one. It is free from the sin of the
world. [Childhood blessed
]. The childs soul is covered with celestial
light. The child does not go too far from his first Love. So when he looks back at
the short space he can see the bright face of his Father. But with the passage of
time the growing boy distances ( ) himself from Heaven.
The temptation of earth begins to close upon him.
The poet continues to glorify his period of infancy when he says that in his
childhood he could see, not through his eyes, but through his soul:
When on some gilded cloud or flower / My gazing soul would dwell an hour
The expression shadows of eternity signifies the childs close association with
heaven. The adult men are blinded by material darkness. So they cannot realize
the futility of earthly life. While the child, even in small beauties like cloud or
flower can find the bliss and grace of living.
The second and last part of the poem is the poets philosophic realization. The
grown up man is exhausted with this state of life. To him the journey of this
earthly life is like climbing higher and higher peak. His travel on earth is like a
terrible journey across the desert, without the hope of salvation ();
while in his infancy the enlightened spirit could see That shady city of palm
trees. This image of an oasis is the Jews conception of Heaven in the burning
sands of Arabia and Palestine. The poet presents earthly life through another
image of a drunken person: But oh! My soul with too much stay/ Is drunk, and
staggers in the way.
He has drunk the material life to the last drop and so the intoxicated soul becomes
unsteady. His rejection of worldly life reveals ( ) itself in his wish
():
Some men a forward motion love/ But I by backward steps would move
He consoles his soul with the thought that death and grave are only waiting of the
soul for Heaven. The poet evokes the idea of dust to suggest the insignificance of
human life. Our earthly life turns to naught while our soul remains immortal.
Thus The Retreat presents Vaughans mystical idea of childhood period and the
immortality of soul. The poem also reveals his philosophical realization about life.
We may say that the poem is central to an understanding of Vaughans life and art.
( Vaughans ).