Home After Three Months Away
Encyclopedia
'Home After Three Months Away' is a one of several "confessional" poems by Robert Lowell
which appeared in his book Life Studies
.
, where he was being treated for mental illness, in Belmont
, Boston
in early 1958
. Lowell was finally released from McLean in June 1959.
Ian Hamilton
, who wrote a biography on Lowell, suggests that the poem owes something to W.D. Snodgrass' poem "Heart's Needle" since "Heart's Needle," which came out prior to Life Studies, focused on Snodgrass' relationship with his child. Although "Home After Three Months Away" is really about Lowell's struggle to recover from a mental breakdown, the narrative of the poem focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Harriet.
He begins the poem by noting the absence of his daughter's former caretaker; then he describes his interactions with his daughter as he's bathing her. But by the end of the poem, he is focused on the subject of his fragile mental state which he compares to the flowers in the garden: "Bushed by the late spring snow,/ they cannot meet/ another year's snowballing enervation." Lowell concludes the poem with the line, "Cured, I am frizzled, stale, and small." The line implies that the treatments he received at McLean Hospital left him feeling worse.
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
which appeared in his book Life Studies
Life Studies
Life Studies is the fourth book of poems by Robert Lowell. Most critics consider it one of Lowell's most important books, and the Academy of American Poets named it one of their Groundbreaking Books. The book won the National Book Award for poetry in 1960.-Publication:Life Studies was first...
.
Background
The poem was written after Lowell started returning home for weekends from the McLean HospitalMcLean Hospital
McLean Hospital is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts.It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and ground-breaking neuroscience research...
, where he was being treated for mental illness, in Belmont
Belmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in early 1958
1958 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Brazilian manifesto for concrete poetry, which focuses on visual and other sensory qualities...
. Lowell was finally released from McLean in June 1959.
Ian Hamilton
Ian Hamilton
Ian Michael "Chico" Hamilton is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. He made more than 300 appearances in the Football League playing for Chelsea, Southend United, Aston Villa and Sheffield United, and more than 100 in the North American Soccer League for Minnesota Kicks and...
, who wrote a biography on Lowell, suggests that the poem owes something to W.D. Snodgrass' poem "Heart's Needle" since "Heart's Needle," which came out prior to Life Studies, focused on Snodgrass' relationship with his child. Although "Home After Three Months Away" is really about Lowell's struggle to recover from a mental breakdown, the narrative of the poem focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Harriet.
He begins the poem by noting the absence of his daughter's former caretaker; then he describes his interactions with his daughter as he's bathing her. But by the end of the poem, he is focused on the subject of his fragile mental state which he compares to the flowers in the garden: "Bushed by the late spring snow,/ they cannot meet/ another year's snowballing enervation." Lowell concludes the poem with the line, "Cured, I am frizzled, stale, and small." The line implies that the treatments he received at McLean Hospital left him feeling worse.