Crossing The Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson
THE POEM
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
Content
Alfred Tennyson in this poem describes his preparation for death, what he hopes to see when he crosses” the bar” and what he expects after his death.
The first stanza discusses the death of the poet, “sunset and evening star”. These are the signs and symbols that mark the end of life. He is expecting his death and says that there should be no mourning when he dies.
He believes that death should be a thing of joy because it is a transition from this mortal world into immortality.
Death is not the end of everything but the beginning of another journey to eternity.
The imagery of travelling on the sea is used here.
He prefers to travel in high tide, where no wave could disturb his sail. He wishes to have a smooth transition to the great beyond.
The third stanza opens with the bell announcing the passage of a soul, “Twilight and evening bell.” After sunset and after his death, there should be no mourning.
He says further that the sail would take him far beyond the expected places where he hopes to see the Almighty God when he dies.
In this wise, death is something that should be expected and should not be feared as it takes one to see God face to face.
“I hope to see my Pilot face to face.”
Themes
Old-age/Senility: The first line talks about old age. The poet is old and expects death at any time.
Nature: It is natural for every soul to “cross the bar. “The poet expects it and warns that there should be no mourning after his death. Since death is natural, it should be expected and people should not entertain any fear of death.
Optimism: The poet is happy that he is going to die and he is optimistic that after his death, he is going to meet with his” Pilot” God. He also wishes to have a peaceful death when he says,
“And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,”
Death: The poet’s major discourse is death. He is old and anticipates that he would die at any time.
Poetic Devices
Personification: We have it as follows;
Lines 3 “And may there be no moaning”
5 “But such a tide as moving seems asleep.”
Euphemism: The poet’s expectation of his death is put in euphemism in line 2.
“And one clear call for me.”
Alliteration: This is used in lines;
1 “sunset…….star”
2 “……clear call”
3 “……may……moan.”
6″ Too full for sound and foam.”
14 “The flood may bear me far.”
Settings: The poem is written when the poet is on the sea, which is why the imagery of the sea is used.
Language: The poet uses the appropriate words and expressions in the poem to express how he feels about the impending death and after his death. He makes use of some symbols to explain the subject matter, for example,
“And may there be no moaning of the bar,”
“Bar” here is referring to the body of the poet.
“But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,”
The poet here wishes to have a peaceful journey to eternity.
Tone: The poet knows he is going to die and accepts it. The tone of the poem is somber.