The Evening Watch : A Dialogue by Henry Vaughan

Analysis: 

The poem ‘The Evening Watch’ is written in the form of a dialogue between the body and the soul, which blatantly indicates the immortality of the soul, life after death, and heaven where the soul would live ever after. On the other hand it also vividly explains the insignificance of the body and the short span of its life while in this earth which is a short journey.

     The poem begins with a dialogue and the body bids farewell to world which indicates that the time for it to die has come.  It tells the soul that it would wake up again when the day star comes. Here it refers to Jesus Christ and his appearance in the Second Coming.

    In the second stanza the soul speaks: it asks the body to rest in peace as its time has come to be dead, buried and become one with dust like the numerous dead people who are dead and gone before. It tells how insignificant the perishable body is , it  is compared to a mere mass of weight but yet how  human beings give a lot of importance to each part which would be ultimately buried and become one with the dust of the earth. What is more important is the eternal soul and while in this world one must lead a worthy life and make sure that his name   is written in the Book of Life so that there would be everlasting happiness in heaven. Though man is made up of dust if he seeks God, He will never betray man’s trust and will write his name in the book of life.

 Now the body replies by saying amen and asks the soul how long they both will have to linger thus in this world before the day dawns in heaven.

     The soul answers that the body is tired and weary because of the tiresome life in this world and compares heaven and gives a beautiful description of it. Heaven is a place where God is watching over everyone without bias, and there is no difference in age people of all ages wind up in heaven. God created the heaven and he fills it with his people, days and hours keep moving and we are never tired of the eternal life.  We are blind of how the days and hours pass by in heaven .Yet remember this the last breath you take in this world will make you wake up in heaven with its heavenly breath , new life and give you eternal and everlasting life.