Amidst the chaos outside, we are remaining indoors for an extended period…. In isolation. So now is a good time to find solace in this poem called
Home by Edward Thomas
Often I had gone this way before:
But now it seemed I never could be
And never had been anywhere else;
‘Twas home; one nationality
We had, I and the birds that sang,
One memory.
They welcomed me. I had come back
That eve somehow from somewhere far:
The April mist, the chill, the calm,
Meant the same thing familiar
And pleasant to us, and strange too,
Yet with no bar.
The thrush on the oaktop in the lane
Sang his last song, or last but one;
And as he ended, on the elm
Another had but just begun
His last; they knew no more than I
The day was done.
Then past his dark white cottage front
A labourer went along, his tread
Slow, half with weariness, half with ease;
And, through the silence, from his shed
The sound of sawing rounded all
That silence said.
Analysis
Stanza One
Often I had gone this way before:
But now it seemed I never could be
And never had been anywhere else;
‘Twas home; one nationality
We had, I and the birds that sang,
One memory.
Let’s look deeper…
Stanza One begins by connecting to his sense of familiarity with HOME. The comfort of familiar surroundings is what you feel at home. He shows this to us when he says it ‘seemed I never could be / and never had been anywhere else’
He goes on, by characterizing all things about home, both inside and outside are of ‘one nationality’ He brings the world of nature as a part of home: ‘We had, I and the birds that sang’ Both him and the birds share a common love of this home. As ‘one memory’ they are united as one nationality.
Stanza Two
They welcomed me. I had come back
That eve somehow from somewhere far:
The April mist, the chill, the calm,
Meant the same thing familiar
And pleasant to us, and strange too,
Yet with no bar.
He feels a warm welcome having ‘somehow come back from somewhere far’ Somewhere far would mean he was someplace else not as pleasant. Though this poem was written in the 1910s, some of us, in this current time of covid isolation, are reconnecting with a calmer feeling on a deeper level, as we spend more time at home in reflection. Therefore,‘somewhere far’ could represent for us that everyday job, or that challenging relationship, or an outside force affecting your mind. That’s why for me, this poem is a perfect read during this odd time of isolation from the coronavirus.
He then goes on by describing ‘The April mist, the chill, the calm meant the same thing familiar and pleasant’ — from the chaos he was at, he is now walking into the comfort of the mist, the relaxation of its chill, and of course the serene effect of the calm. All these comforts found at home.
Stanza Three
The thrush on the oaktop in the lane
Sang his last song, or last but one;
And as he ended, on the elm
Another had but just begun
His last; they knew no more than I
The day was done.
Now we follow through to the thrush singing ‘his last song’ or ‘last but one’ — the thrush in his birdsong sings to the final note, and just when you think it’s done… it goes again. And now you think it will be done, but another bird will carry on that song. Nature in itself is a constant renewal just like the birdsong. In this way man finds harmony in the sound of nature.
Stanza Four
Then past his dark white cottage front
A labourer went along, his tread
Slow, half with weariness, half with ease;
And, through the silence, from his shed
The sound of sawing rounded all
That silence said.
We shift to ‘A labourer’ that goes by in a walk that’s slow and weary — it would mean this person is older in age. But to also move ’half with ease’ would mean this journeyman has experienced life. ‘Through the silence from his shed the sound of sawing rounded all that silence said.’ — Thomas uses the sound of the labourer to break the harmonious tone of nature. By hearing the disruptive sound of a saw, we now appreciate the sound of nature wrapped in all its beauty, through the comfort of home.
Fun Fact: Robert Frost was a great friend of Thomas Edwards, well known as a nature writer, and encouraged him to try poetry.
Unfortunately, Thomas Edwards passed away at an early age, barely having much poetry published. His words live on, and still have an impact today. Do check out his work!
Buy his Selected Poems and Prose (Penguin Classics)
