Writer of the poem, “Home- Thoughts, from Abroad”, Robert Browning was a notable author in the Victorian Era. His poems are successful in reflecting the sentimental structure of the period adding several artistic features of Romanticism which makes him a renowned author of the Romantic era.

The poem “Home-Thoughts, from Abroad” begins with the note of returning to the homeland. Robert Browning addresses the poem in such a way that he has been separated from his native land but he retained a continuous sense of belonging to migrate back. Although the speaker of the poem “Home-Thoughts from Abroad” is a traveller.

He knew the advantages of migrating but he also undergoes homesickness as somehow the comfort and stability of his life disappeared. While Browning was residing in Italy, he was exactly undergoing the same connectivity and longing. Thus, he knew how it feels to stay away from his homeland. The poem reflects the life of the author focusing on the time in which the poem was penned.

Robert Browning has written the poem “Home- Thoughts, from Abroad” in 1845 while he was residing in Italy. The poem was first published in “Dramatic romances and Lyrics”.

There is a constant remembrance of English springtime in the first stanza and the second stanza eventually shifts from April to May. The poem mainly emphasizes the unconscious beauty of nature and when such elegance and purity wrap up our everyday living our mind enriches for enthrallment.

Home -Thoughts, from Abroad: Summary

In the poem “Home-Thoughts, from Abroad” the speaker speaks of his hometown which is England now residing in Italy. He keeps on recollecting his memories of childhood.

Glorifying the month of April he says the beauty and elegance of nature in England are immeasurable. It refreshes a person’s mind thoroughly. During this time trees bear tiny leaves and with their purity, it successfully enthrals the mind and soul.

The common breeding bird is found pouring its heart out with its charming voice. The speaker’s landscape in which he is currently residing is not that exciting compared to his homeland but the song of the bird acts as a solace. The sudden remembrance of the bird’s song raises a faint hope in the mind of the speaker. He wonders if the bird is the messenger of the arrival of something good that the speaker is unaware of.

Following the inauguration, of May month whitethroat comes. They are referred to as warblers commonly found in Europe. He goes on to describe the splendid nature and the blooming of flowers along with their magnetic fragrance which is scattered all around the sphere. His homeland (England) was brighter than this gaudy melon flower (Italy).

The poet’s love for his home is immense and with the arrival of the Spring tide, his mind and soul are seeking to look back fetching memories from his past.

The unique and very few things that took place in England fondles his mind with happiness. Robert Browning is trying to showcase that although he is far away from his hometown but he often recollects the very small things that took place in his home which enthrals his mind unwrapping all negative thoughts and certainly encouraging him to accomplish his motive.

Home -Thoughts, from Abroad: Analysis

Robert Browning begins his poem “Home-Thoughts, from Abroad “with a sense of belonging. His memories are haunting him and he is striving to get back the warmth and comfort of his homeland. Such an expression can be recognized by readers easily as every bibliophile has come across the feeling of annihilation.

His zeal and passion for returning home absolutely squeezed him. The speaker of the poem undoubtedly loves his home. He deeply reflects his longing by saying “Oh, to be England “

Browning describes nature giving it a portrait of serenity which is quintessential during the Romantic period. Elaborating on the nature of his hometown, he carefully begrudges who rouses in England during the ongoing Eastertide. The description of “the lowest boughs” and the brushwood perfectly depicts his earthly connection with nature. Very efficiently he recollects his memories of childhood.

The speaker in the poem never mentions any particular name whom he wants to meet but while he expresses his desire to shift to England, he politely addresses nature. For the author of Romantic genres, such a feature is quite common and relevant. Such authors possess a unique connection with nature and the love which is as pure as nature itself. There is constant communication between nature and humans.

We can find such connectivity in “Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey “by William Wordsworth where we find him reminiscing the past and the communion with the pure essence of nature in childhood leaves a positive impact even in the minds of the adults.

An adolescence recompense when the essence of nature demises with an encountering of adulthood.  We find the speaker of the poem describing the “elm tree” which consists of tiny leaves. The ‘ chaffinch’ who sang on the bow of the orchard denoting the arrival of spring, to the feelings that has taken place when he left England emphasizes his longing for his homeland.

It seems as if an interaction had taken place between nature and the speaker. With the advent of spring his longing to return to his homeland gradually increases. Such visionary of nature with that of a person can be identified as a major characteristic of the poetries of the Romantic period.

The next stanza begins with the revelation of the genuine tale. The speaker is aware of the fact that he would be away from his homeland ( England) now and the period is quite long. He wants to witness all the ‘shallows’ and the ‘whitethroat builds’ captivating the minute changes that will take place from the shifting of April to May.

The birds for the speaker are more momentous in England than the birds he finds in his place of residence. The speaker has already articulated in his mind what he is going to state next. He used the terms ‘hark’ or ‘listen’ to gain the attention of his readers. The beauty of the spring in England is remarkable as the pear tree blossoms and forms a screen scattering upon the paradise above the field.

The speaker keeps on recollecting his memories of England and performing so he could feel his presence in his homeland. Even if he is far away from his home the warmth and the memories surround him in such a way that he feels its comfort wherever he goes. He invokes “the wise thrush” which is referred to as a songbird. The thrush sang each song twice with the falling of dew drops. There is stagnancy in every process of nature and no hope of anything positive anywhere.

Amidst such desolation, the speaker hears a joyful voice. The songbird’s voice was immeasurable. Although the speaker fails to find a valid justification behind his remembrance of the happy song of the bird but he also says that the thrush’s song may contain some optimism which he is unaware of.

He remembers a variety of plants and flowers that blossomed in England during the month of spring. Such a scenario appears in his mind with the arrival of spring. He undergoes immense grief as the place he is residing in fails to behold the capability to interact with nature. The reunion is impossible as the human connection with nature is missing in his current residence.

Thus, he describes the beauty and pure connectivity that is sustained by every person in England. In the end, it seems to describe his connection with the little bird. The bird has a unique style as each song is being sung twice by the thrush keeping in mind if the listener fails to interpret the lines first-hand.

He says even the parts which look vague and dull with “hoardy dew” look charming after the morning declines along with which the tiny buttercups emerge. Thus, throughout the poem “ Home Thoughts From Abroad” the speaker’s agony is tremendous and his connection with England ( homeland) is unfathomable.

The speaker concludes by explaining that the place he is residing is nothing compared to his homeland. The essence and the elegant fragrance of spring in England are immeasurable whereas his current residence’s landscape is devoid of enthusiasm and zest. The speaker used to keep on staring at the beauty of the flower that has just bloomed with the ongoing spring tide. The fluorescence of the little flower falls in vain with that of what he has witnessed in England.

England is more splendid to cite for the speaker. Certainly, because he had an immense connection with his homeland .and England makes him remind his golden days. The beauty of England provided him with the spirit to accomplish his task with enthrallment.

Setting

The poem was written when Robert Browning was residing in Italy. Although the huge portion of the poem speaks of England and then the latter half describes the esthetic beauty of the countryside. The fields and the meadows give an earthly pleasure that is immeasurable.

Poetic Devices

There is an application of vivid imagery by the speaker for describing the trees in England. He depicts the elm tree in the first stanza and the pear tree in the next stanza. The descriptions seem to carry away the readers in the world of dreams and imagination.

The poem is composed of an irregular rhyme scheme. The first stanza of the poem is comprised of eight lines with ABABCCDD structure and the second stanza of twelve lines with EEFGFGHHIIJJ structure. It is devoid of any exact pattern.

Metaphor

When the speaker states that the buttercups and fields are marked as dowries for the youngsters it is considered to be a metaphor. Dowry cannot be possessed by a child. Thus, after logically equating and implementing it tends to showcase that the buttercups and fields are a source of happiness for children.

FAQs

What kind of poem is ‘Home-Thoughts, from Abroad‘?

The poem “Home-Thoughts, from Abroad” is written by Robert Browning while he was visiting Northern Italy. The poem was first published in his book Dramatic Romances and Lyrics. This poem falls under the genre of Romantic Literature with a formulation of a sonnet comprising nineteen lines preceded by “The Lost Mistress “.

Who is the name of the speaker in ‘Home- Thoughts, from Abroad‘?

Robert Browning portrays himself in that pathetic situation of homesickness due to his residing in a foreign land that is far away from his hometown. He immensely misses his homeland. In the poem, the speaker is a traveller. Thus, the author can easily compare his agony with his.

Robert Browning has lived in Italy for a long period and he very well understands the warmth and comfort of one’s homeland. He keeps on reminding his childhood days which enthrals his mind with power erasing all evil thoughts eventually paving way for him to attain his goals.

What type of poetry is Robert Browning known for?

Robert Browning is well known for implementing Dramatic verse. His presentation of poems with a structural invocation of Dramatic verse is remarkable to look at and sounds astonishing when read.