Commentary

On first reading, this poem could seem like a simple road map for finding peace of mind. But nothing Herbert writes is ever that lacking in hidden meanings. Here, he lures the reader into a series of dead ends before confronting us with the inescapability of having to make difficult personal choices, masked though these may be in almost cosy rural imagery.

In the first three stanzas, the poet searches in vain to find the peace he craves, first in retreat and isolation: 'a secret cave', then through the beauty of nature, a rainbow which is extinguished as 'the clouds immediately did break and scatter', and lastly through worldly pomp and glory, represented symbolically by a flower, the 'crown Imperiall', whose splendid appearance conceals a worm devouring its root. This has been interpreted as a comment on political corruption (the falling apart of England under King Charles 1), but can also be viewed as referring to the risk of being spoilt by excessive wealth.

Although the three areas first explored differ from each other, what they all have in common is that the poet is attempting his quest unsupported. Things change when 'a rev’rend good old man' points him to the Bible, in particular to the story of Melchisedek, 'Prince of Salem', who gave bread and wine to Abraham. He 'sweetly liv’d', 'with good increase from flock and fold'.

Presented as a good and generous farmer who pulls his flock together, this historic figure begins to show similarities with the future Messiah, and this is strengthened when he is slain by his foes, and 'after death out of his grave/ there sprang twelve stalks of wheat' recalling Christ’s disciples.

From the lonely and unsuccessful struggles of the first three stanzas, the poet is drawn into a growing community enterprise. The wheat stalks (or disciples) are planted and set, spreading 'through all the earth'. They offer (but do not impose) the chance to make bread of the wheat, and to be nourished by it, or in other words, to follow Christian teachings. Those who choose to accept what is offered will earn 'peace and mirth by flight of sinne'. The final stanza of the poem makes it clear that for those who seek peace, this is the only solution.

As so often in his poems, beautifully exemplified, for instance in The Flower, and again in Peace, Herbert takes the reader on a journey through tribulation and, at times, self-doubt. The journey ends in a safe haven where he can 'sit and eat' ('Love III') or, as here, contemplate the comfort of home-baked bread made of 'this grain, which in my garden grows, / And grows for you.' These simple domestic images speak of a sense of belonging and – at last – security.