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.
This is one of the most symbolistic descriptions of a noble sailors death I have ever read. I heard the verses in a Moly O'Brien Song and had to research them.As a sailor and lover of a good song or written prose and poetry,I was never so moved by anything other than the Navy Hymn. I can only say that on my passing that I will have a Piper and a great Scotish female sing this poem.
Poem Comments: The Crossing of the Bar
I believe the poem was written for others, and in being so, the others may be from many walks of life. It was written in the language of the sea, but its mournfulness can carry the inner feelings of anyone with it. I have loved this poem before I was a sailor and being a sailor no more I still love it.
I first heard this poem when my grandmother used it as a piece for me to learn while teaching me piano--this was fully 40 years ago. The words struck me then and I have remembered them vaguely in my head ever since. Tonight just about 1½ hours ago, my brother called to tell me this grand lady, now 103 years old, had, herself, crost the bar. I went back to bed, but awoke shortly--this poem, this song, running through my head. She was never associated with the sea, nor was I...yet Tennyson's words fit my grandmother and her feeling of life and death. They will provide pleasant nostalgia for the rest of my life.
A note accompanying the poem offers an explanation of the phrase, "no moaning of the bar," which I found interesting:
"A sandbar sometimes obstructs the passage of a ship from the harbor into the open water. An old superstition held that, whenever a death had occurred, the outgoing tide moaned as it rolled over the bar."
Pooley, Robert C., General Ed., England in Literature. (Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, Copyright 1953), 401.
I first hear this poem in junior high school in the Islands of The Bahamas...I love literature so the words of this great, moving poem stuck with me through the years...on losing several member of my immediate family, the words of this poem come to mind, even though none of the lost loved ones were not sailors...it goes to show that this poem can apply to death of anyone anywhere!!!
My mother asked me to read this at the memorial service for my father, Jack. Through life's trials and tribulations, I now carry these beautiful words forward with me in life...
Colin
Many years ago I saw this poem inscribed on a monument to fishermen, located in Bourne, Cape Cod, a fishing village. As a retired Pastor and Chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, I frequently read this poem at the funeral of a Navy Vet.
‘Crossing The Bar' seems to me the saddest farewell verse in literature - the words themselves seem to drag-out mimicking the slow tide pulling out to sea. For instance, the repetition of long vowel sounds in "And may there be no moaning of the bar" aches of the sound of goodbye - it is impossible to read this poem fast! The mood is unmistakeably and beautifully mournful, haunting the reader long into the night after we have put it down. How Tennyson manages to capture the emotional sorrow of crossing the inevitable bar from life to death in such a simple little lyric is beyond my comprehension - pure poetic genius!
A magnificently moving and elegant poem, of which the Poet's son Hallam (Later Lord Tennyson) said "MUST be regarded as the "crown of my father's life's work" (see Arthur Waugh - 1890's) Said to have been composed during a passage across the Solent, but inspired by the "Bar" (i.e. sandbar) across the rivermouth at Salcombe in South Devon,UK., where the poet spent holidays. Salcombe Bar presents a navigation hazard…
Read the whole commentA magnificently moving and elegant poem, of which the Poet's son Hallam (Later Lord Tennyson) said "MUST be regarded as the "crown of my father's life's work" (see Arthur Waugh - 1890's) Said to have been composed during a passage across the Solent, but inspired by the "Bar" (i.e. sandbar) across the rivermouth at Salcombe in South Devon,UK., where the poet spent holidays. Salcombe Bar presents a navigation hazard to small craft at half-tide during both ebb and flood especially when a big ground-swell is running up channel from the Atlantic. Due to local topography this can sound quite weird ~ almost a Tsunami effect ~ and years ago (1950's~'70's) local old sea dogs might say "Bar's moanin', bwoi"!! I do hope these observations may add to an understanding of this beautiful poetical work.
Having pondered my previous contribution to this w/s I have returned in order to view any further postings, but as yet to no avail! May I, therefore add a short post script to my previous offering? Loving Tennyson's work as I ~ and many ~ do , I would like to record the fact that I see "Crossing The Bar" as a perfectly ALLEGORICAL work. Having known it since my childhood, much of which was spent in and near…
Read the whole commentHaving pondered my previous contribution to this w/s I have returned in order to view any further postings, but as yet to no avail! May I, therefore add a short post script to my previous offering? Loving Tennyson's work as I ~ and many ~ do , I would like to record the fact that I see "Crossing The Bar" as a perfectly ALLEGORICAL work. Having known it since my childhood, much of which was spent in and near Salcombe, South Devon where the poet reputedly spent time on holiday, I would observe that I have never ~ until recently ~ seen it as a song of death and the hereafter; it has such practical and seamanlike observations of the vagaries of seagoing from the small, once bustling (with Fruit Trading schooners) port of Salcombe. But now I see it in a different light, due largely to the last verse ~ nay! ~ the last two lines!! I even have this little fantasy that 'T' took an evening Bass fishing trip with one of the many local fishermen, after having 'downed a few bevvies' in the Victoria on Whitestrand Quay(it is well documented that he 'liked a tipple') where he would have been regaled with fearsome tales of 'The Bar'and its potential to cause havoc, in return for a round or two of drinks for the cunning old local fishermen! Given this, coupled with the poet's genius, and a perfect allegory is born! Best Wishes to this W/S...RN.
The fragrance of this sorrowed yet peaceful poem has stayed with me since junior high days. As a physician I have closed many eyes in death and this poem reminds me about the place that a person facing death will hopefully come to. After they are done with the denial, the anger, and the bargaining, sometimes they come to an acceptance of death and it is no longer a foe to be escaped, but a vehicle that bears them towards the great beyond. O that all of my terminal patients would have the help of the Pilot in their journey.
My father requested of me this evening that this poem be read at his funeral. His death is not expected any time soon but for reasons of preparation he has had some thoughts along the lines of what he wants. This poem is one of the several ideas that he is having me record for future reference. Poignant and lovely as we talk of crossing the bar home in loving nonfearing tones and words.
As many others here have indicated, my father also asked that this, his fasvorite poetic work, be read at his funeral. He was a man that loved the sea and spent many years in his boat enjoying the wonderous things the ocean has to offer. This poem shall remain with me always as a tribute to my Dad. Thank you Tennyson.