Cross the bar

Crossing the Bar
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

First of all, the title is confusing; it makes me think of a bar in which adult beverages are served. On to the analysis! The poem discusses, through a metaphor, how a man wants to be seen after his death. He uses the analogy of going on a voyage and not returning to resemble dying. He doesn't want people to feel saddened by his passing, because his death will give him eternal life. He says this by saying "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar" (Tennyson 886). His pilot is his creator, God (most likely), and through his death by "crossing the bar," he hopes to go to heaven and experience his blessings with God. Even if his death is painful and a struggle, he still remains hopeful for the joys of heaven when he dies. He uses key language such as "embark" and "put out to sea" to symbolize a beginning. His death will be the start of his new life, and he wants people to recognize this so that they praise his death rather than mourn it. Death is merely the beginning of eternal celebration.