SECTION D: NON-AFRICAN POETRY How does the poet present death as a voyage in "Crossing the Bar"?

Answer Details

In Crossing the Bar, Alfred Lord Tennyson presents death not as an ending to be feared but as a peaceful voyage out to sea toward a meeting with God. The poet sustains an extended metaphor of a ship putting out from harbour, and every image contributes to this comforting vision of dying as a journey.

Death as embarking on a sea voyage. The central metaphor is that of a ship crossing the sandbar that separates the harbour from the open ocean. The 'bar' is the barrier between life and death; to cross it is to pass from the sheltered waters of earthly life into the boundless sea of eternity. The speaker prepares to 'put out to sea,' calmly setting sail on his final journey.

Imagery of evening and departure. The signals for the voyage are the 'sunset and evening star' and later the 'twilight and evening bell,' images of the close of day standing for the close of life. The gentle coming of night frames death as a natural, timely departure rather than a violent loss.

A peaceful, unhindered passage. Tennyson prays for 'no moaning of the bar' when he sets out, and for a tide 'too full for sound and foam,' one so deep and calm that the crossing is smooth and silent. This imagery removes all struggle from death, presenting it as a serene gliding out to sea.

The destination: meeting the Pilot. The voyage has a goal. The speaker hopes to 'see my Pilot face to face' once he has 'crost the bar.' The Pilot is God, who has guided the ship all along, and the voyage ends not in oblivion but in a personal encounter with the divine.

In conclusion, Tennyson presents death as a voyage by picturing it as a calm sea passage at nightfall, across the bar and out to the eternal ocean, toward a longed-for meeting with the Pilot. The extended metaphor transforms death into an act of faith, hope and quiet acceptance.