William Makepeace Thackeray is one of the best novelists of English literature. Though he had many poems that get critical attention.

‘A Credo’ is one of the major poems that is being stranded upon religion. ‘Crede’ means religion and here, the poet tries to focus on the religious faith or on the ‘Christianity’.

Summary

‘A Credo’ is consists of a total of thirty-six lines and is being divided into three stanzas. The first stanza starts with a wide explanation of religious songs where the poet mutters that for the sole education of people he wants to sing a ‘holy chant’.

He will sing the song may be in an odd manner but he will speak because he has a love for his religion. Now he is taking a historical reference where an old father sang the song and then Martin Luther sang the song.

Martin Luther is a theologist and also an author. Once he sang a song the song,

“Who loves not wine, woman, and song,
He is a fool his whole life long!”

These are taken from the song that speaks for a man who loves wine, woman, and song. He is a fool in his life. Maybe the poet is dedicating who never get peace in his life. So, the first stanza ends here.

He is patriarchal by the customs and also he loved to see beaker sparkles. So, who is the person that is not clear so far but his likes and loves are being portrayed well.

“And he thought the wine improved,
Tasted by the lips he loved—
By the kindly lips he loved.”

Then he thought the taste of the wine gets increased and tested in by the kind lips that he loved. So, the person always speaking that he loves to taste with two lips and that becomes an expression of feelings or of love.

Now, the poet is uttering addressing his readers by ‘friends’ that he wishes to have the custom pious would sprout upon mankind.

The observation also takes a part because custom always needs an observation. To combine love, wine, and song Martin Luther once sang a song that is being repeated again.

A CredoThe last and final stanza begins with another oppressed imagination who rejected ‘Credo’. According to the poet, Credo is religious faith and the person is not taking that in a good manner.

“Were he holy as John Knox,
I’d pronounce him heterodox!
I’d pronounce him heterodox,”

Now, the poet is raising a question towards the man who has rejected Credo and never sang. He may be as holy as John Knox and Thackeray wants to call him ‘heterodox’ as he crossed the religious faith.

It can happen that the man is an atheist. That Thackeray never opened but he highlighted the term ‘heterodox’. From these solemn religious facts, he gets banished.

As he is not singing the song people quickly banished him. Now the lines are again being repeated that Martin Luther sang a song that he is not singing and that is the reason for a banishment. Here the poem ends with a tricky religious view.

Analysis

Throughout the poem, William Makepeace Thackeray explores religion in a unique way.

Maybe there has some mockery towards the society where a person is not singing a religious song that is why he is except the religion. The portrait of the religion is being reflected here.

“With a solemn commination,
Banish quick the heretic,”

Here, religion becomes the central power where a man can be rejected for not singing a song that Martin Luther once played.

So apart from all perspectives, it is sure that religion becomes a primary source of society and maybe the poet himself is the man who denies singing.

Literary Devices

The poem consists of many poetic devices that riches the motive of the poet. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘aa bbb ccc d ee ff’.

In this poem, we have ‘Syncope’ which is a writing style. Poet uses an apostrophe to write a word that is it. Just like “T’was”, “I’d”.

Then comes Alliteration which means the repetition of phrases and words in a line. Here is the example

“I will sing a holy chant—
I will sing a holy chant.”

Anaphor is also a very interesting literary device that means the repetition of the same words at the beginning of two lines one after another.

” I’d pronounce him heterodox!
I’d pronounce him heterodox,”

Not only that but here Thackeray also uses metaphors to express his views. So, these are all rhetorical devices that help poets to gain readers’ minds.

Questions

What is the famous poem by William Makepeace Thackeray?

Vanity Fair is one of the best poems of Thackeray.

What is the theme of ‘A Credo’?

Religion is the main theme of the poem ‘A Credo’.