Is the year only lost to me?”

In these lines from George Herbert’s (1593-1633) poem “The Collar” (1633), the speaker is a tired and frustrated priest. He feels unhappy with his strict religious life. He believes he has sacrificed too much joy, freedom, and pleasure. In this moment, he speaks in anger and confusion.

The speaker says, “Sure there was wine before my sighs did dry it.” Here, wine stands for happiness, joy, and celebration. The speaker means there was joy in his life earlier. But his constant suffering, sadness, and deep sighs have “dried” the wine. In very simple words, he feels that his sadness has taken away all happiness from his life.

Then he says, “there was corn before my tears did drown it.” Corn stands for blessings and abundance. The speaker believes these good things were once present, but his tears have drowned them. This means his sorrow has destroyed all the goodness that he could enjoy. He feels that everything he had has been spoiled by his religious life, his sadness, and guilt.

Finally, he asks, “Is the year only lost to me?” This is his expression of unhappiness. He asks why only he has to suffer. He wants to live a free and happy life like others.

These lines clearly show the speaker’s emotional pain and frustration. He thinks his religious life has only brought sadness. But this anger is temporary. At the end of the poem, God calls him gently, and the speaker returns to faith and obedience.