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| Neb English Notes |
Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson
A. Match the words in column A with their meanings in column B.
Answer:
Column A Column B
B. Fill in the gaps with the words/phrases given below to complete the paraphrase of the poem.
the sandbar, return, the evening bell, floating
the sunset and evening star, on a tide
sad goodbyes, God
Answer:
I notice the sunset and evening star in the sky, and hear a sound calling for me loud and clear. I hope that the sandbar will not be disturbed when I go out to sea. Instead, I want to be carried out on a tide moving so slowly it seems almost asleep, and which is too swollen to make a sound. That's what I want when I return home to the depths of the great unknown.
Twilight comes with the evening bell, which will be followed by darkness. There don't need to be any sad goodbyes when I go.
Even though I'll be going far from this time and place, floating on the tide of death, I hope to meet God, who has been like my pilot on this journey, when I've made it across the bar.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson
a. Where does the speaker have to go to cross the sandbar?
Answer:
The speaker has to go to another world, crossing the sandbar after his death.
b. Why can’t the tide make a huge sound or create a lather?
Answer:
The tide can't make a huge sound or create a lather because the speaker wishes his soul's journey to be very calm and quiet after his death.
c. What do the twilight and the evening bell suggest in the poem?
Answer:
The twilight and the evening bell suggest the last moments of the speaker's life, and the death knell or sound reminds him of his upcoming death. After this particular twilight, there will be nothing but "the dark," i.e., death.
d. Where is the speaker going without accepting sad goodbyes?
Answer:
The speaker is going to another world (paradise) after his death without accepting goodbyes.
e. Who is the only agent that helps the speaker go far on his journey?
Answer:
His pilot, or God, is the only agent that helps the speaker go far on his journey.
f. Does the speaker fear death? Why/Why not?
Answer:
No, the speaker doesn't fear death because he is aware of his end time. He welcomes his death instead.
g. What does the pilot symbolise?
Answer:
The pilot symbolises God, who will guide the speaker until he reaches his final destination.
SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson
1. Who has composed this poem?
Answer:
Alfred Lord Tennyson has composed this poem.
2. What is the speaker’s attitude towards death?
Answer:
The speaker's attitude towards death is fearless.
3. What is the sandbar a metaphor for?
Answer:
The sandbar is a metaphor for the line between life and death.
4. What role does the sea play in the poem? Does it have any metaphorical significance?
Answer:
The sea plays a very important role in the poem. It has a metaphorical significance in the poem. The sea stands for the human world, and life is a journey. After crossing the sea, the speaker’s soul will reach the other world, which is its real home. His soul will meet the pilot, or God, only after crossing the sea.
5. What kind of farewell does the poet wish for?
Answer:
The poet wishes for a cheerful farewell at his death. There should be no moaning, weeping, or other expressions of sorrow over his death. He desires to die calmly. He wants a cheerful farewell from his friends or relatives after his death.
6. Explain the metaphor of the ship used in the poem.
Answer:
The ship is a symbol of divine power. The speaker is undertaking a journey to another world. The speaker says that it is the ship that will take his soul to the other world after his death.
7. Who is the ‘Pilot’ in the poem? Where does the speaker hope to meet him?
Answer:
The 'Pilot' in the poem is God. The speaker hopes to meet him after crossing the ocean of eternity and reaching another world. He will be able to see his pilot face-to-face.
8. What type of poem is elegy?
Answer:
Elegy is a meditative lyric poem that has a lamenting tone on the death of a public figure or a friend or loved one; by extension, any reflective lyric on the broader theme of human mortality.
9. When does the speaker hear a clear call?
Answer:
The speaker hears a clear call after the sunset and the evening stars in the sky.
10. What does the speaker wish in the poem?
Answer:
The speaker wishes in the poem that there may be no moaning in the bar when he is on his final voyage.
11. What does the speaker desire about the sea?
Answer:
The speaker desires that the sea and its moving tide be asleep without sound or foam.
12. How can the speaker's soul reach his real home?
Answer:
The speaker's soul can reach his real home after crossing out the boundless deep.
13. What is heard after twilight?
Answer:
The evening bell is heard after twilight.
14. What do you mean by 'twilight'?
Answer:
By 'twilight', we mean dusk.
15. What type of farewell does the speaker wish when he boards the ship?
Answer:
The speaker wishes a farewell with no sadness when he boards the ship.
16. When does the speaker ask for his farewell?
Answer:
The speaker wishes farewell with no sadness when he boards the ship.
17. How is human life?
Answer:
Human life is limited within time and place.
18. How far is the speaker's destination?
Answer:
The speaker's destination is so far which is beyond time and place.
19. Whom does the speaker wish to meet face to face?
Answer:
The speaker wishes to meet his pilot (God) face to face.
20. When does the speaker hope to see his pilot?
Answer:
The speaker hopes to see his pilot after crossing the earthly bar.
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