Victorian+Period



Crossing the Bar By Lord Alfred Tennyson 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 cross’d the bar.

Analysis: Once I realized the metaphor of the title, the rest of the poem blew my mind! It is an entire extended metaphor.

Tennyson's archaic language (Sunset and evening star) adds prestige because most readers connect it with a high level of formality. However, the archaic language hides the effusive pathos connected to the tone shift of the line before last (I hope to see my Pilot face to face). Without using like, as, or even directly juxtaposing, the poet compares God to a "Pilot" and reveals the emotional and spiritual tone layered in each verse; labeling God as his "Pilot" the poet insinuates that God is the master of the narrator's existence. Also, the metaphor "twilight and evening bell" suggests that although the narrator's day/life on earth fades away there is an implication of the afterlife. Moreover, the poet's commentary on death is void of "mourning" or "sadness" because God (Pilot) has decided what "Time " to take the narrator to heaven (cross'd the bar, Place). Furthermore, the imagery of waters (flood may bear me far, I put out to sea) convey how God is his "Pilot" from a visual perspective; the control of where the "tide" will position the poet belongs to powers higher than himself.