“Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

About the poem

This is a lyrical poem. Tennyson wrote it when he was 81, while crossing the river Solent after a serious illness. He explained to his son that the “Pilot” was the Divine, the Unseen who always guided us.The poem is considered the “Swan Song” of the poet. Here, the speaker (the poet) wishes to set out on a journey to eternity in a calm atmosphere, without any “sadness of farewell.”

The Poem has been written in 1889, three years before Tennyson died. The poem describes his placid and accepting attitude toward death. Although he followed this work with subsequent poems, he requested that “Crossing the Bar” appear as the final poem in all collections of his work.

Tennyson uses the metaphor of a sand bar to describe the barrier between life and death. A sandbar is a ridge of sand built up by currents along a shore. In order to reach the shore, the waves must crash against the sandbar, creating a sound that Tennyson describes as the “moaning of the bar.” The bar is one of several images of liminality in Tennyson’s poetry: in “Ulysses,”the hero desires “to sail beyond the sunset”; in “Tithonus”, the main character finds himself at the “quiet limit of the world,” and regrets that he has asked to “pass beyond the goal of ordinance.”

The other important image in the poem is one of “crossing,” suggesting Christian connotations: “crossing” refers both to “crossing over” into the next world and to the act of “crossing” oneself in the classic Catholic gesture of religious faith and devotion. The religious significance of crossing was clearly familiar to Tennyson, for in an earlier poem of his, the knights and lords of Camelot “crossed themselves for fear” when they saw the Lady of Shallot lying dead in her boat. The cross was also where Jesus died; now as Tennyson himself dies, he evokes the image again. So, too, does he hope to complement this metaphorical link with a spiritual one: he hopes that he will “see [his] Pilot face to face.” The ABAB rhyme scheme of the poem echoes the stanzas’ thematic patterning: the first and third stanzas are linked to one another as are the second and fourth. Both the first and third stanzas begin with two symbols of the onset of night: “sunset and evening star” and “twilight and evening bell.” The second line of each of these stanzas begins with “and,” conjoining another item that does not fit together as straightforwardly as the first two: “one clear call for me” and “after that the dark!” The second and fourth stanzas are linked because they both begin with a qualifier: “but” in the second stanza, and “for though” in the fourth. In addition, the second lines of both stanzas connote excess, whether it be a tide “too full for sound and foam” or the “far” distance that the poet will be transported in death.

Summary of the Poem

‘Crossing the Bar’ is one of the most famous poem of Alfred Tennyson. He wrote this poem at the age of 81. He is aware of the fact that his death is near. The poem describe the poet’s sea voyage but really it is the description of his soul’s journey from this world to other world. He is sure that after his death his soul would become one with divine. The poet has become old. He feels that he is approaching to death. The Poet hears the call from sea. It is the call of death. The Poet says that when he starts his journey the tide should be deep. The tide should be so deep that there should be no sound and no foam in sea. The sea should look as if it were sleeping. His only wish is that there should be no crying, no weeping or no other expression of sorrow over his death. He wants this death should be calm and smooth. He wishes that his friends will bid him cheerfully. His soul which had come out of the infinite world of God will start its journey to return to its real home that is, God. He says that in this world human life is limited by time and space but his death will take him into a world which is free from the limitations of the time and space. He has no fear of his approaching death. He welcomes it. It is only after death that he can hope to meet his pilot face to face. Here the pilot is God. Just as a expert pilot guides his ship safely across the sandbar of harbour. In the same way God guide the human soul after it has come out of the harbour of life and takes it to heaven. Thus the poem ends on a note of optimism.

Explain with Reference to the Context:

Stanza – 1

“Sunset and evening star ” And one clear call for me!

And may there by no moaning of the bar

When I ‘put out to sea,”

Reference to Context

These lines quoted above have been taken from Alfred Tennyson’s poem ‘Crossing the Bar’. In this poem, the poet says that he has reached the evening of his life. He compares his soul’s journey from this world, to another world to a sea voyage. These are the opening lines of the poem.

Explanation

In these lines, the poet says that the sun is setting and evening stars have appeared. He hears a clear call. He wishes that there is no sad sound at sandbar when he moves out of the harbour to sea. In other words the poet means to say here that he has reached the end of his life and he can hear the clear call of death. His only wish is that there should be no crying, weeping or other expression of sorrow over his death.

Stanza 2

“But for such a tide as moving scens asleep,

To full for sound and foam

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

Turn again hot home”

Reference to Context

These lines quoted above have been taken from poem ‘Crossing the Bar’ written by Alfred Tennyson. In this poem, the poet says that he has reached the evening of his life. He compares his soul’s journey from this world to another world to a sea voyage.

Explanation

In these lines, the poet says that when he starts his sea voyage the weather should be clam and quite. The waves should move gently. The sea should be calm as if it were asleep. The poet says that his ship has come from a ocean. Here ship symbolises the poet’s soul and boundless an ocean is a symbol of eternity. His soul will return to its real home after his death. In other words he wants to die calmly, without any pain. He wants that his journey from this world to other world should be smooth.

Stanza – 3

“Twilight and evening bell And after that the dark and may there be no sadness of fearewell when I embark; “

Reference to Context

These lines quoted above have been taken from poem ‘Crossing the Bar’ written by Alfred Tennyson. In this poem, the poet says that he has reached the evening of his life. He compares his soul’s journey from this world to another world to a sea voyage.

Explanation

In these lines, the poet says that it is twilight. The evening bell is ringing. It will be dark soon. The poet means to say here that he has already grown old. It is the end of his life. After his death his soul will start its journey from this world to another world. He wishes that on the end of his life there should be no sadness for crying. His relatives shall bid him farewell with cheerfulness.

Stanza – 4

“For the’ 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 “

Reference to Context

These lines quoted above have been taken from poem ‘Crossing the Bar’ written by Alfred Tennyson. In this poem, the poet says that he has reached the evening of his life. He compares his soul’s journey from this world to another world to a sea voyage.

Explanation

In these lines, the poet says that human life is limited by time and space. The ship will take him away from this world to other world which is free from the limitations of time and space! Here the ship is a symbol of divine soul. He says that when he reach there he will see his pilot face to face. Here pilot means God. It is God who guides his soul to heaven after his death. The Poet has no fear of death. He hopes to meet God after his death.

Question-Answer (Short Type)

Q. 1. What is the speaker’s attitude towards death and dying?
The speaker displays an attitude of complacency towards death.

Q. 2. What is the sandbar a metaphor of?
The sandbar is a metaphor for the line between life and death. It is something that needs to be overcome and reached

Q. 3. This entire poem functions as an analogy. To what is Lord Tennyson’s image of a ship “crossing the bar” and going out to sea an analogy?
Lord Tennyson’s image of “crossing the bar” is an analogy to death, which is meant to strike up images of the soul passing the point at which it will not return, but travel on to heaven.

Q. 4. Explain the speaker’s reference to “my Pilot” in the last stanza.
Since the poem is an analogy to passing on from life to heaven, the reference to “my pilot” is a reference to God, whom he “hope[s] to see” when he reaches heaven.
Q.5. What role does the sea play in the poem? Does it have any metaphorical significance?

Ans.: The Sea has a very important role in the poem. It has a metaphorical significance. The sea stands for the human world and life is a journey. After crossing the sea the poet’s soul will reach the other world which is its real home. His soul will meet God only after crossing the sea.

Q.6. Critically comment on the following:(i) and one clear call for me!

(ii) ‘For tho’ from out our bourne of ‘Time and Place’

Ans.: (i) The poet has grown old. He can hear the ‘and one clear call’. It is the call of death. He is not afraid to his approaching death. He hopes to meet God after death. (ii) It means that the world is limited by the time and space. Mans stay on this earth is for a short time. After the poet’s stay he will go to the other world. That world is free from the limitations of space and time. That will be the world of God. That is the real world of soul free from all limitations.

Q.7. What kind of farewell does the poet wish for?

Ans.: The Poet want a cheerful farewell at his death. There should be no crying, weeping or other expression of sorrow over his death. He wants to die calmly. He wants that his friends should bid him farewell cheerfully.

Q.8. Explain the metaphor of ship used in the poem.

Ans.: The ship is a symbol of divine power. The poet is undertaking a journey to the next world. The poet says that it is the ship which, after his death, will take his soul to the other world.

Q.9. Who is the ‘Pilot’ in the poem? Where does the poet hope to meet him?

Ans.: The Pilot in this poem stands for God. The Poet says that when he has crossed the ocean of eternity and reached on the other world he will be able to see his pilot there face to face. Just as an expert pilot guides his ship safely across the sand bar of Harbour similarly God guides the human soul after it has come out of the harbour of life and takes it to heaven.

Question Answer (Essay Type)

Q.1. ‘What is the significance of the title ‘Crossing the Bar’?

Ans.: Tennyson gives his poem the title ‘Crossing the Bar’. It is a metaphorical title. This metaphor is kept up throughout. In the literal sense bar is a sandbar at the harbour’s mouth. It is made by powerful tide of the sea. A pilot has to be very careful while crossing his ship across the sandbar. Only an expert pilot can guide his ship safely across the bar. After crossing the bar the ship is on Wide Ocean. Metaphorically ‘bar; is the barrier between two realms. One is this world and the other is heaven. One has to cross the bar in order to reach the other world. It signifies death. It is only after crossing the bar of death that human soul could reach the other world to meet God. The poet knows that he has grown old. He is nearing death. He can hear the clear call of death. But he has no fear of death. He rather welcomes it. He is excited to cross this barrier of death to reach the other world. This is the reason that he does not want any moaning or crying or any sad expression at the time of his farewell. The poet wishes that when his soul starts his journey from this world to other world the sea should be calm and quite. The tide should move gently. The sea should look as calm as if it is asleep. If the sea is calm and quiet then there is no risk of danger to the ship while it is crossing the san bar. Here the ship is human soul and ocean is the ocean of eternity. In other words he wants to die calmly. He is going to meet God after crossing the bar of death. This is the only way to meet the God. Thus we can say that ‘Crossing the Bar’ is a very significant and meaningfull title to this poem.

Q.2. Tennyson Celebrates death. Elaborate and Comment.

Ans.: Death means the end of life, the end of every relationship on this earth. It is often looked upon with terror. The very thought of death is enough to terrify anybody. But in this poem Tennyson is not afraid of death. He seems to welcome it. This poem expresses the poet’s deep faith in God and immortality of human soul. Tennyson wrote this poem at the age of eighty one. He knows that he has grown old. He is sitting on the verge of death. At this time he can hear the clear call of death. But he shows no fear of death. But he shows no fear of death. He calls his soul’s journey, from this world to the other world, a voyage on the sea. The poet says that when he starts his journey, the sea should be calm and quite. If it is calm and quite then there will be no danger to the ship while crossing the bar. Here the ship signifies the human world and the ship signifies human soul. In other words he want to die calmly without any pain. He also wants that his journey from this world to other world should be smooth. Thus he shows no fear of death. He had deep faith in God. He believes that human soul is immortal. He says that this world is limited in terms of time and space. Human soul’s stay on this earth is very short. After its stay in this world it will return to its real home. The return journey of his soul will begin after his physical death. The poet wishes that there should be a cheerful farewell at the time of his death. He does not want any moaning or crying at the time of his death. He hopes to meet God there face to face. Thus we can say that in this poem Tennyson celebrates death. Rather he welcomes it. He says that he does not want any moaning or crying at his farewell time. He wants that his friends should bid him farewell cheerfully. The Poet says that when he starts his journey the sea should be calm and quiet. So that he could reach his destination peacefully. In other words he wants to leave this world peacefully and calmly. The poet says that after his journey he will see his pilot face to face. Here pilot is a symbol of God. Just as an expert pilot guides his ship safely across the sandbar of harbour. In the same way God guides the human soul across the ocean of eternity and takes it to heaven. After reaching there his soul will be one with the soul of God. Thus we can say that the poem, ‘Crossing the Bar’ is a allegory. In this allegory incidents and things are used to signify something else.

Q.3. Bring out the allegorical significance of the poem.

Ans.: Allegory is a literary device. Allegory is a story which moves on more than one level. Tennyson’s ‘Crossing the Bar’ is an allegory. On the surface it describes the poet’s sea voyage. But really it is a description of the soul’s journey from this world to other world which it its real home. Tennyson compares his exit form this world to a ship which is leaving the harbour and crossing the sandbar. Here the harbour is a symbol of earthly life. The sandbar is a symbol of death. The ship is human soul and ocean is a symbol of divine power. The Poet says that sun is setting and evening star has appeared. Here sunset means that he is at the end of his life. The Poet hears a clean call. It is the call of death. But the poet is not afraid of death.

Q.4. Trace the journey of the soul as developed in ‘Crossing the Bar’.

Ans.: Tennyson had deep faith in God and immortality of human soul. He believes that the real home of the soul is heaven. Soul’s stay on this earth is very short. After its short stay it again goes back to its real home. Tennyson calls the journey of the soul from this to other world, a sea voyage. The Poet says that the sun is setting and stars have appeared. He knows that he is at the end of his life. He can hear a clear call of death. He knows that soon the darkness of death will fall upon him. But he is not afraid of death. Rather he celebrates it. He does not want any moaning or crying at the time of his death. He wants that his friends bid him farewell cheerfully. After crossing the bar of death his soul will start its journey across the ocean of eternity. After crossing the ocean it will reach to the other world which is its real home. There it will meet God. After that it will merge with the soul of God and become one with divine. Thus at least the soul’s journey will be completed and it will stay in the heaven forever. Thus the poem is a fine expression of poet’s belief that the human soul is immortal. It does not die with the death of body. In fact it leaves the body and return to its real home i.e. heaven.

Q.5. Is there any indication of poet’s religious attitude in the poem? Substantiate your answer from the study of the poem.

Ans.: That Tennyson is a religious minded person becomes clear when we go through the poem. All religions tell us that the soul is immortal. It neither dies nor takes birth. Its permanent stay is in heaven. At the birth of man it comes from heaven and enters in human body. Its stay on this earth is very short. After the death of human body it returns to its real home i.e. heaven. Like a religious person Tennyson had faith in God and immortality of human soul. He knew that his end is near. He hears the clear call of his death. Yet he is not afraid of death. Rather he welcomes it. He calls death the starting point of the soul’s journey for heaven. He does not want any moaning or crying at the time of his farewell from this world. He wishes that his friends bid him farewell cheerfully. He wishes that when he starts his journey the weather should be calm and quiet. Poet wants to die calmly without pain. He also wants that his journey from this world to other world should be smooth. It is only after death that he can hope to meet God face to face. He calls God a pilot. Just as a good pilot guides his ship safely across the sandbar of harbour in the same way God guides the soul across the ocean of eternity. After completing its journey the soul meets God. The poet believes that his soul will merge with the soul of God and become one with divine. Thus we can say that poet’s attitude in the poem is religious.