The Collar

I struck the board, and cry’d, No more.

I will abroad.
What? shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free; free as the rode, Loose
as the winde, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?
Have I no harvest but a thorn To
let me bloud, and not restore
What I have lost with cordiall fruit?
Sure there was wine
Before my sighs did drie it: there was corn
Before my tears did drown it. Is the
yeare onely lost to me?
Have I no bayes to crown it?
No flowers, no garlands gay? all blasted?
All wasted?’
Not so, my heart: but there is fruit,
And thou hast hands. Recover all
thy sigh-blown age
On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute
Of what is fit, and not forsake thy cage,
Thy rope of sands,
Which pettie thoughts have made, and made to thee
Good cable, to enforce and draw,

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

 And be thy law,
While thou didst wink and wouldst not see.
Away; take heed:
I will abroad.
Call in thy deaths head there: tie up thy fears.
He that forbears
To suit and serve his need, Deserves
his load.
But as I rav’d and grew more fierce and wilde
At every word,
Me thoughts I heard one calling, Childe:
And I reply’d, My Lord.

Taken from George Herbert: 100 Poems edited by Helen Wilcox (Cambridge
University Press, 2016)

Context: The British poet George Herbert first published “The Collar” in his
famous 1633 collection of devotional verse, The Temple. In this autobiographical
poem, a clergyman rages against all the limitations of religious life, longing for
freedom and pleasure rather than duty and endless, guilt-ridden self-scrutiny. But
no matter how much he struggles, he just can’t get around two facts: God exists,
and he has a calling to serve his “Lord.” Religious faith, this poem suggests, can

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

feel more like a burden than a consolation—but that doesn’t mean one can run
from it.

Explaination: “The Collar” by George Herbert is a powerful poem that captures the
inner struggle of a speaker, likely a priest or religious man, who feels frustrated by
the limitations and sacrifices that come with a life of devotion. The title “The
Collar” can refer to both a clerical collar, symbolizing the responsibilities of
religious life, and a restraining device, suggesting the feeling of being bound or
restricted.

Summary and Analysis:

In simple terms, this poem is about a person who feels trapped by their religious
commitments and wants to break free. They express anger and frustration with a
life that seems full of sacrifices but lacks freedom and joy. Throughout the poem,
the speaker questions why they should continue to lead such a restricted life when
they could enjoy worldly pleasures instead.

Starting in Frustration: The poem opens with the speaker’s anger and
disappointment. They feel their life has been hard, filled with restrictions and
“loss” rather than the freedom they expected. The speaker begins to question why
they have endured this lifestyle, likening it to a trap or a cage.

Questioning Faith: The speaker wonders why they have to follow such a strict path
and starts to imagine a life where they could enjoy themselves freely, without the

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

burden of their religious duties. The tone becomes rebellious as they consider
giving up on their faith and commitments, questioning whether all the sacrifices
were worth it.

A Desire for Freedom: Throughout the middle of the poem, the speaker debates
whether to abandon their spiritual responsibilities and embrace a life of “wine and
pleasure.” They are tempted to escape from the “collar” of their duty and embrace
the freedom they feel they’ve been denied.

Finding Peace: At the end of the poem, just when the speaker seems close to
rejecting their faith, they hear a gentle voice calling, “Child.” This soft address
snaps the speaker out of their rebellious thoughts, reminding them of their
relationship with God. This word reassures them, calming their frustration and
bringing them back to a place of peace and acceptance.

Resolution: The ending suggests that the speaker realizes they are like a child in
the care of a loving God, which eases their doubts. This word, “Child,” symbolizes
a return to faith and trust in God, as if to say that their devotion and sacrifices are
understood and valued. The speaker’s anger fades, and they are able to accept their
“collar” of faith once again.

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

Themes:

Faith vs. Rebellion: The poem explores the tension between commitment to God
and the desire for freedom. The speaker wants to be free but ultimately feels that
their faith brings them peace and purpose.

Struggle with Duty: The “collar” symbolizes duty, especially religious duty, and
the speaker’s internal conflict with staying true to it.

The Role of God’s Love: The final word, “Child,” suggests that God’s love and
understanding bring comfort to the speaker, reminding them of their relationship
with a caring higher power.

Simplified Meaning:

In essence, “The Collar” is a poem about feeling trapped by responsibilities and the
struggle between wanting freedom and finding meaning in commitment. The
speaker’s journey reflects a universal feeling of doubt and desire for freedom,
ending with a sense of comfort and acceptance in faith.

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

Line by line analysis of The Collar:
Lines 1- 9
I struck the board, and cried, “No more; I will abroad!
What? Shall I ever sigh and pine?
My lines and life are free, free as the road, Loose as the wind, as large as store.
Shall I be still in suit?
Have I no harvest but a thorn To let me blood, and not restore
What I have lost with cordial fruit?

In the first stanza of ‘The Collar’, the speaker shocks his reader by crying out,
seemingly without provocation, that he has had enough. He says, ‘“No more.”’ He
will not remain in his life any longer. The speaker will “abroad.” He asks in the
following lines if it is necessary for him to “sigh and pine.” The speaker is
becoming more and more sure that it is not his sole purpose in life to want
something he cannot have. He is severely dissatisfied with the current direction of
his life and is ready to make a change.

He sees himself as being able to live in “life” and write his “lines…free, free as the
road.” There should be no restraints on what he is allowed to do or say. He sees a
future in which is life is “Loose” and resembles the “wind.” He desires to live in a
world as large as he wants it to be.

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

The following lines are used to ask if he must be “still in suit.” He wants to know if
it is possible for him to change his life at this time, or if he is trapped in the world
he has made around himself. The next phrase proposes one type of life he could be
living, one he cannot escape from. In this scenario, he compares himself to a plant
that produces no fruit, but only thorns on which he cuts himself. It is the blood he
loses that he hopes to use to reinvigorate himself. Perhaps he can benefit from his
own present suffering.

Lines 10-18
Sure there was wine
Before my sighs did dry it; there was corn Before my tears did drown it.
Is the year only lost to me?
Have I no bays to crown it,
No flowers, no garlands gay? All blasted?
All wasted?
Not so, my heart; but there is fruit,
And thou hast hands.

In the next set of lines, he tries to remember if there was a point in his life in which
“there was wine.” It would have had to have been before his “sighs did dry it.” He
thinks there is no way the suffering he is going through now has always been
present in his life. There must’ve been days before in which one could find “corn”
and “wine.” These days would be before his “tears did drown it.” To some extent,
he feels as if his own emotional state is making his already bad situation worse.

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

The second half of the section is made up of a number of questions. He asks if
there is any way for him to “crown” or save his year. He does not want it to be
“lost to” him. The speaker searches for “flowers” or “garlands gay” which might
be used to improve his remaining days.

Two short phrases follow; they inquire if the flowers have all been “blasted” or
“wasted.” The final two lines clarify that no, they have not. In his “heart…there is
fruit” still. With his hands, he plans to retrieve that fruit along with his happiness.

Lines 19-28
Recover all thy sigh-blown age
On double pleasures: leave thy cold dispute
Of what is fit and not. Forsake thy cage,
Thy rope of sands,
Which petty thoughts have made, and made to thee
Good cable, to enforce and draw,
And be thy law,
While thou didst wink and wouldst not see. Away! Take heed;
I will abroad.

The second half of ‘The Collar’ begins with the speaker asking a number of
different things of himself. First, he wants to recover the pleasures of his past and
leave behind his “cold dispute / Of what is fit and not.” He is done wasting time
worrying about what is holy, proper, or good. These things will no longer interest
him. It is his goal to leave behind his cage and “rope of sand.”

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

These means of confinement that the speaker mentions were crafted by religion
and by his own hands. They were made by “petty thoughts” and turned into “Good
cable” which was able to “enforce and draw” and turn into the “law” which he
obeyed.

He is no longer going to be a part of this lifestyle. He is moving on, away from his
confinement and “collar.” The final line repeats the declaration which appears at
the beginning of the poem, “I will abroad,” he will depart.

Lines 29-36
Call in thy death’s-head there; tie up thy fears;
He that forbears
To suit and serve his need
Deserves his load.”
But as I raved and grew more fierce and wild
At every word,
Methought I heard one calling, Child!
And I replied My Lord.

The final section of ‘The Collar’ concludes the narrator’s agitated speech and
produces a slight twist to the narrative. He continues speaking to himself and tries
to boost his confidence for the change he is trying to make. The speaker asks that
the “death’s-head” leave him alone. He does not want to be bothered by his fears.
It is his intention to “tie” them up and force them to serve his purpose.

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman

The speech ends with a set of lines that utilize the rhyme scheme of abab. They are
used to bring the speaker back to his known reality. He describes how his
“rav[ing]” came to its climax and rather than building him up, it just brought on the
voice of God. The speaker heard “Child!” And replied, “My Lord.” Like a child, he
was chastised and brought back into the religious fold.

The Collar analyses by Muhammad Naimur Rahman