Summary
“The Collar” is a one-stanza, free-verse poem that is widely understood to include a dialogue between a single speaker's two inner voices, sometimes identified as the heart and the will. While the will rebels against God and the “collar” or yoke of religion, the heart wins the battle, overcoming the will.
In the first sixteen lines of the poem, the speaker (or “the heart”) states that he is fed up with the current state of affairs and plans to seek out his freedom. He laments that he is “in suit,” in a lowly position, and that he has not reaped greater rewards. As these lines progress, we learn that the speaker has undergone a period of pining and sadness, leading to his present anger.
In lines 17-26, another inner voice interjects, “not so, my heart,” reminding the first speaker that there is an end to sadness in sight. If only the speaker will “leave [his] cold dispute” and stop his rebellion, he will be able to open his eyes and see the truth.
In lines 27-32, the will reappears, commanding the other speaker “away!” and restating his commitment to going abroad. In the final four lines of the poem, the irregular free verse gives way to an ABAB rhyme scheme. The second inner voice reveals that, even in the midst of raving, he heard someone calling “Child” and replied “My Lord.” This indicates a return to God after a period of rebellion.
Analysis
The first 5 lines of the poem introduce the long quote that makes up most of the poem. The speaker of the poem announces that he struck the board—a table or altar—and then began a long monologue that extends from lines 1-32. He begins by stating “no more!” implying that he can no longer tolerate his present situation and will go away. Lines 3-5 give further context to the situation: he has been sighing and pining, indicating his unhappiness. However, he believes that he truly has the option of making another choice. He states, “my life and lines are free.” Here, the “lines” seemingly refer to the free-verse lines of the poem itself. He compares his life and lines in two similes, stating they are “loos as the wind” and “large as store.” The comparison to the wind ties to his threat to go abroad, suggesting he could travel anywhere. The comparison to the “store” or storehouse suggests that he is well-stocked with nourishment.
Lines 6-16 continue the speaker’s monologue, as well as introduce a number of rhetorical questions. The speaker asks if he will remain “in suit,” in a subservient position, forever. Next, he introduces the motif of the harvest, asking if he will only harvest thorns that makes him bleed, rather than harvesting fruit. He remembers a past in which there was “wine,” here suggesting both literal wine, the fruits of the harvest, and perhaps the sacrament, as well as corn. However, his sighs and tears have destroyed the fruits of the harvest—he has been sad for too long. He wonders if he is alone in this despair, and if he will ever receive any worldly rewards or honors, as indicated by his yearning for a bay (laurel) crow and a garland.
Critics have long identified lines 1-16 as revealing one of the speaker’s inner voices, and then a second voice emerging in line 17 (persisting through line 26). The second inner voice counters the first: “Not so...but there is fruit,/ And thou hast hands.” While the first voice (the heart) denies the existence of spiritual or worldly fruit, the second speaker (the will) asserts that it is readily available for harvest. The second voice encourages the self to stop sighing and seeking after “double pleasures,” or worldly pleasures. He goes as far as to metaphorically compare this mindset to a “cage” and “rope of sands”: this suggests that the speaker has in fact trapped himself with his “petty thoughts.” These destructive thoughts, rather than God, have shaped his world, but he was winking and “wouldst not see” the true cause of his affliction.
In lines 27-32, the first speaker, the heart, addresses the will and commands it “away!” He insists that he will go away. He asks the will to take away its “death’s head”—its skull or memento mori, a reminder of mortality. Furthermore, he states that the man who “forbears” or neglects to serve his own needs deserves his burden. These lines mark the end of the quoted monologue.
In the final quatrain of the poem, the irregular rhyme scheme resolves into an ABAB rhymed couplet. After his wild, raving monologue, the speaker reflects: while he was growing “more fierce and wild,” he heard God’s call, “Child,” and replied, “my Lord.” Here, the resolution of the rhyme scheme reflects the resolution of the poem: the speaker is no longer rebellious, free, and wild. Rather, he accepts that he is God’s child, and resolves to end his rebellion and accept God’s love (and God’s law) once again.
