Rugby Chapel by Mathew Arnold summary and explanation.

 Rugby Chapel

Before starting the introduction, I want to tell you a little about the Chapel so Chapel is a small prayer hall but not big like a church it can be in a school or in a building. So, in the poem Rugby Chapel the poet is visiting the chapel of his school named Rugby School where his father was a celebrated headmaster. 

Introduction: - Rugby Chapel is an elegy written by Victorian-era poet and a great critic of his contemporary time, Mathew Arnold [1822-1888]. Mathew Arnold has written rugby chapel in memory of his father who passed away when he was only twenty years old. In this poem, the poet is visiting the chapel after fifteen years where his father is buried the poet is reminiscing about his father’s good old memories and he is also commemorating his father.  Being a critic of his time, we can see him criticizing his contemporary society. It is a beautiful and emotional poem; we can feel the emotions of the poet about losing a loved one.

Now we will start the explanation of the poem

Read the full poem here,

The first stanza-

Coldly, sadly, descends ………………                             thou, my father! art laid.

The first stanza is a beautiful presentation of an autumn evening. The poet is saying that an autumn evening is descending coldly and with a feeling of sadness. The fields are scattered with heaps of withered yellow leaves and unpleasant dampness. The trees of elms fade into the darkness of approaching night very quickly.

Note: - Silent: -- here the poet wants us to feel the silence like he is feeling.

Silence is all around. Poet can hardly hear the shout of a few boys who are still playing lately. The night lights of the street are turned on. There is a cold, serious, unlighted, modest darkness gathering seeing through the school windows. In this darkness stans the walls of the chapel in whose boundary (thou) you my, father! is buried or resting.

Note: - The use of an exclamation mark is added after the word because the poet wants to give an emphasis on that word or that feeling.

The second stanza-

There thou dost lie_______________________ with thee.

Poet is again addressing his father. There you (thou) laying or sleeping in the gloominess of the autumn evening. But ah! Shows a sudden exclamation. The word gloom brings back the memory of his father in the same radiant vigor or good health. In the gloom of November, we passed the days with you due to your presence they were not dark. All the seasons (impaired) are not been able to weaken a ray of your (thy) (buoyant) light-hearted cheerfulness, it is as clear as it was. Such were you! [The exclamation makes us feel the same feeling the poet is feeling remembering his late father.] and I stand here in the autumn evening thinking of the bygone autumns with you(thou).

Third stanza-

Fifteen years have gone _________________ lacking the shelter of thee.

Fifteen years have gone by since you(thou) arose to (tread) walk to the road of death a call unforeseen on a summer morning and the incident happens suddenly. For fifteen years, we [the poet and his family] who were under your (thy) shade rested as under (boughs) the branches of a mighty oak, have endured all the problems [sunshine and rain] as we might bare, unshaded, alone lacking the shelter of your (thee) 

Fourth stanza-

O strong soul ____________________zealous, beneficent, firm!

Referring to his father’s soul, the poet is saying O strong soul, by what shore (tarriest) linger you now? Referring to the force or the power of the soul of his father poet says, surely has not been left in vain means his soul is doing some purpose there in some far-sounding huge labor house.  You must be practicing your zealous, beneficent, firm strength.

Fifth stanza-

Yet in some _______________________upon earth.

Yes, in some far shining sphere or heaven, conscious of the past or not [ referring to the soul of his father may he remember them or not] Still you(thou) perform the word of spirit in whom you(thou) do live. Encouraging(prompt), not tiring (unwearied) as here. Still your enthusiasm, still being humble and remaining down-to-earth, and strictly repressing the bad. Still, like a commander, you rose those who walk with half-open eyes to the border of the unknown or the world of the after -death which is not very clear to humans who are torn between the two extremes (twixt) of vices and virtue. To revive or rescue (succourest)! This was your(thy) life upon earth.

Sixth stanza-

What is the course of life ___________________for a moment, and gone.

What is the route or direction of the life of mortal men on earth? Most men move (eddy) about here and there doing things like eating and drinking, chattering, love and hate, gathering and wasting (squander), they are [human] raised with high standards or we can say that with high resources but they are tossed in the dust to achieve blindly (striving) but achieving nothing and then they die and disappear and no one asks who or what they have been, more than he asks or wants to know about the waves, which swelled and foamed for a moment in the solitude of the moonlit night between the mid of not so strong ocean and then gone.

Note: - Here the poet is comparing the life of man to the swelling waves of the ocean. Just like the waves come and go in the ocean human come and go on this earth, an ocean of humans.

Seventh stanza-

And there are some ___________________ swept from our side.

One of the longest stanzas in the poem. In this stanza, the poet is saying that there are some humans, who have an unquenchable thirst and strong fire within them [here the poet is talking about the people like his father] they do not spend their life following the crowd means the majority of people spent their life following a fixed pattern of life without thinking about the purpose or aim of life. Not without any aim or purpose by doing purposeless things, doing efforts that are meaningless and vain.

Ah yes! [an exclamation] some of us (strive)to not die without any action or purpose. But they try to get something from this dull process of dying out, glut not all the hungry (devouring) grave. We [the poet is referring to the people like him] have chosen our path to a clear-purpose goal, the path of higher purpose! But this path leads us to a long steep journey going down through a gorge over the mountains in snow.

Note- Here the poet is comparing the high and low problems of life with the difficult and hard path of snow-covered mountains and dangerous sunk gorge.

We started our journey [of life] cheerfully with friends, and we set forth then on the height [when we became older] comes the storm [comes to the problems], Thunder crashes from rock to rock, and eyes are dazzled by lighting. 

Then the poet says that then a roaring torrent [strong flow of water or rain] has breached the tracks of their journey filling the path of travelers with water that looks like a streambed, and the footsteps of travelers are lost. The water boils over in the path which has taken the form of a stream. This was the condition of their path and above their head, the snow beds were dislodged from their hanging place which was not seen by the travelers of that path.

Alas! [exclamation] A lot of damage and confusion (havoc) is made in their group of travelers.

Note- The writer is again comparing the problems of life with the stream and dislodged snow beds when we start our journey of life, we decide on a path of our but the problems of life come like a torrent and we lost our footmark on the path just like we forget our set principles on which we try to walk in our life.

 Now the writer comes to the friend who set forth with us, like when we happen to be young in our life, we have so many friends and family but as we grow older, we start losing them in the same the writer is saying some friends lost the confidence and determination(falter)and are lost in the storm.  We, we only are left!  [Repetition of we to make more emphasis].

Now the poet is telling the condition of left travelers.

With a serious (frowning) forehead, lips hardly compressed (sternly)we pushed ourselves (strain) to go on, on at nightfall [the last stage of life] we came to the end of our way [the poet is referring to the death] to the lonely inn mid the rocks [the poet is referring to the grave]. Where the thin (gaunt) and reserved host (taciturn) [referring to the angels of death] stands at the threshold. The wind is shaking his thin white hair [Image of the angle of death a thin body with white hair and very reserved] holds his lantern to see(scan) our storm-beaten figure [our whole life deeds] and asks us: whom with us we have brought and whom we have left in the snow?

And sadly, we answer: we bring only ourselves! [We are alone in our graves]. We lost sight of the rest in the storm [facing the problems of life we lost touch with our friends and everyone with whom we started our journey]. Hardly we fought ourselves through the storm. The avalanche swept them all from our side [avalanche -the problems of life].

Eight stanza-

But thou woulds’t _____________________thy hand.

But you (thou) alone were not saved, my father! alone. Conquered and came to your (thy) goal leaving the rest in the wild. we were worn out and we were fearful, here the poet is referring to the companions or fellow travelers of the journey and in our journey, we were compelled by the circumstances to drop down and die. Still, you turned and beckoned the trembler, and still gave your hand to the weary or worn out.

Ninth stanza-

If in the path _______________________thy hand.

In this stanza, the poet says about his father that if in the paths of the world, here the poet is not talking about the normal path we walk he is comparing the different duties of our life while performing or doing them we face so many difficulties the poet is saying stones might have wounded your feet, toil and dejection have tried your spirit, but we saw nothing means his father never shows it outwardly. To us, you were still cheerful, helpful, and firm!  

Therefore, it was given to you to save many with yourself. And, at the end of your day, O faithful Shepherd! Come bring your sheep in your hand.  God or Jesus is also called “Good Shepheard” in the Christian religion and humans are compared to sheep. So, the poet is calling them to come and take the good deed of human souls with their hands.

Tenth stanza-

And through ____________________ died.

In this stanza, the poet is saying that through his father, through you I believe in the noble and great people who are gone. They were pure souls honored and blessed by former ages. But the race of men whom I [poet] saw is so soulless, so poor, the poet says it seems like a dream of the heart or a cry of desire but yes, I believe that there lived others like you in the past, not like the men of the crowd who is all around me today annoying and awkward and making life extremely unpleasant, dull and wicked. But souls have a character of energy(fire), passion, heroism, and good, they are helpers and friends of mankind.  Shall I not call you servants or shall I call you sons of God? Because as a servant you can’t know the innermost mind of your father, He [God] who unwillingly sees humans (little ones) lost means God does not want us to lose our path of righteousness then you are praiseworthy, if mankind has not yet fainted, fallen and died in its march.

Eleventh stanza-

See! ____________________one in the waste.

See! The poet is asking us to see in the rocks of the world [which means the problems and the hostile conditions in the world] marches the crowd of mankind. The poet is calling the race of mankind feeble, wavering. Where are they [the human race] is going? God guided them and gave them their goal. Ah! But life is long. Years they have been in the wild! Years they have been in this world. Sore thirst plagues them, the poet is saying while on the journey of this life in this world we felt a sore thirst for spirituality, but (the rocks) the problems rise around us and we became frightened. We are divided into fractions and the leaders we choose threaten to break or dissolve. Ah! Keep, keep them [humankind] combined! Else, countless who fill the army of mankind not anyone shall arrive or reach the purpose that God has given to us. Alone they [mankind] shall stray or lose their way or purpose of the righteousness of life and we will stagger forever in vain in this world, dying one by one without living a purposeless life.

Twelfth stanza -

Then in ___________________________________ city of God.

Then in such an hour of need when we are fainting, dispirited in the race of life, you appear like an angel radiant with your divine enthusiasm! You appear as a beacon of hope. There is no heaviness in your heart, no weakness in your words, not a weariness on your brow. You alight in our caravan! And just at your voice panic and despair flee away. You move through the ranks, recall the stragglers, refresh the outworn, praise, and reinspire the brave! Order and courage return when eyes remember you and prayers follow your steps as you go. You fill the gaps in our lives, strengthen the weak relation (wavering line), establish us, and we continue our journey (march)of life from the bondages of this world (waste) to the afterlife (to the city of God).  

*(words from the poem).

*[What the poets want to say]