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, 5
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark! 10
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face 15
When I have crossed the bar.
Title: Crossing implies some kind of journey. Bar could be some kind of threshold, or it could be
something the speaker wants to achieve, like “reaching the bar.” “The Bar” seems like something specific since it isn’t presented as a bar, but rather the bar. The speaker has a specific goal in mind: a journey to reach something or surpass something.
Paraphrase: The speaker is on a boat, watching the sunset and the stars come up in the sky. He’s
also watching the water, wanting it to be quiet. The sky grows darker and the speaker embarks on his journey, not wanting a sad goodbye. His journey will take him beyond the known realm of time or place, but he hopes to see his “Pilot’s” face when he crosses the sand bar.
Devices: The symbolism of the sunset, then the dark sky represents the waning of the speaker’s life.
He is at the “twilight” of his life. “The bar,” (a sandbar—a build up of sand between the sea and the shore) is the extended metaphor throughout the poem and is a symbol for the division between life and death. The image of “crossing the bar” is crossing from life to death, from this known life to something unknown, outside of “our bourne of Time and Place.” The ship that the speaker is on is also a symbol, representing his life and his journey and the sea is the driving force of that. He also speaks of his “Pilot,” which might be interpreted as an image to represent God, the director of his life and who the speaker hopes to see “face to face” after he has died. The rhyme scheme (ABAB) of the poem, as well as the length of the lines, contributes to the impression that it is like a wave. It flows and seems to undulate.
Attitude: The speaker seems resolved about his impending death. He has accepted that it will come.
He says, “When I put out to sea…When I embark…When I have crossed the bar.” He knows that it will happen and doesn’t seem anxious or pleading. It just is what it is and he approaches it very matter-of-factly. He does express some hope for the future, though. He hopes that there is no “moaning of the bar,” that the crossing into death will not be difficult. He hopes that “there be no sadness of farewell” and the he might “see [his] Pilot face to face.”
Shifts: There is a shift after each quatrain (stanza) of the poem, which represents the steps of his
journey toward dying. The first stanza is the beginning of his journey toward death. He still has some time, but he is beginning to think of it. The second stanza is more of a reflection on death. The tide comes soundlessly from the depths of the ocean and will return there after the death of the speaker. Death will always return. The third stanza is the speaker beginning to die. He thinks of those he’s leaving, but also seems ready to move on. The final stanza is the speaker’s approach to his death—the final step in his journey.
Title: “Crossing the bar” basically means dying. It is the speaker’s journey “crossing” from life into
death. He crosses the sandbar, which separates the sea of life from the sand of death.
Theme/Total Meaning: The total meaning of this poem is that death is inevitable. It isn’t
necessarily something to be afraid of or really anxious about because it is bound to come—it does for everyone. Even in death, there is still hope—hope that there is more to come.
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