Crossing the Bar

In the poem, "Crossing the Bar," the poet uses a metaphor to describe death. He compares death to a journey at sea, and wants to leave this earth without sorrow and mourning from his friends and family. The manner in which the poet refers to it, led me to believe that he was optimistic and comfortable with the idea of dying. For example, in the last couple lines of the poem, "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar," hints at hopefulness for bigger and better things; I interpreted the Pilot to be God. Also, "may there be no mourning of the bar when I set out to sea," represents the speaker hoping for a non-painful death. In that line, the bar signifies the process of crossing into the afterlife.

Personally, I enjoy this poem and the topic of "farewell" in general. Most of the time, it is an easy concept for the audience to relate to, and it allows room for interpretation. Even though it may not be the correct way or the way the author intended it to be, someone could also see this as a literal journey instead of death.