Religion

One theme that is introduced early in the poem is the theme of religious faith. The first attribute that the speaker associates with the country life is that it is “sacred” (1). Thus, from the first line of the poem, the speaker suggests that the virtues of the country life are religious ones.

Philips wrote at the tail end of a period of English history that was dominated by religious conflict and warfare. Her own religious views are unknown, although references to Christian teachings are sometimes found in her work. Certainly, this poem, like Philips’ other writings, seems to sidestep the internecine religious conflicts which were so prevalent during her era. Rather than taking a perspective on the question of how faith should be practiced, she depicts it as a straightforward symbol of what is good.

For instance, she uses the Biblical story of the Garden of...