In “Crossing the Bar,” written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and “Drummer Hodge,” by Thomas Hardy, the overarching theme concerns the end of life, whether it be looming or the aftermath of it. However, the similarities between the two poems go significantly deeper than an ostensibly broad topic. Consequently, in “Crossing the Bar” and “Drummer Hodge,” both authors utilize vivid imagery and a unique stanza structure in order to punctuate the respective environment that characterizes each poem.
Regarding imagery, “Crossing the Bar” exhibits a multitude of instances that use the literary device. For instance, Tennyson wastes no time setting the scene, as he writes “Sunset and evening star” (1). Right off the bat, he describes the background for the narrative that’s to follow, as the reader conjures up images of vibrant oranges and reds reflecting off the water with the sandbar in the foreground. It’s the end of the day, per say, but it very well could symbolize the end of the narrator’s life as well. Tennyson comes back to this type of imagery about halfway through the poem, writing, “Twilight and evening bell” (9). The mention of twilight serves to reaffirm the almost nighttime setting, while the influx of auditory imagery here with “evening bell” connotes that sense of impending death. Much like the clock ominously striking midnight, the sound the reader imagines hearing only strengthens the notion that time is running out for the narrator, as the bell chimes and he readies to voyage out to sea. Additionally, Tennyson employs the literary technique in more ways than just to inform the reader of the time of day. For example, the narrator wishes that there would be “no moaning of the bar / When I put out to sea” (3-4). The desire triggers both the visual and auditory senses, as the literal interpretation of these lines denotes the lack of waves crashing into and coming over the sandbar. One can easily imagine the sight and sound of the ocean violently interacting with the bar. Without it, the wish lends itself to that of tranquility and peacefulness. This means more in regards to the figurative meaning of these lines, especially as the narrator likens heading out to sea to death. In effect, the narrator hopes that his demise not be marked by grief and anguish. At the same time, the narrator realizes just how large the scope of death entails. Tennyson states right after lines three and four, “But such a tide as moving seems asleep / Too full for sound and foam” (5-6). Along with the obvious correlation between death and sleep, Tennyson modifies the sea with the adjective full, allowing the reader to connect the seemingly endless depths of the ocean with that of the world of the deceased. He incorporates this specific type of imagery at multiple other points in “Crossing the Bar,” describing the sea as a “boundless deep” (7) and writing that “The flood may bear me far” (15). In every case, Tennyson cements the idea that perishing and metaphorically putting out to a vast and endless sea represents a realm in which one does not know the true extent of its reach.
Concerning “Drummer Hodge,” Thomas Hardy similarly utilizes rich imagery, only to describe an entirely different environment and feeling. A young boy with a common name, the character’s death while on the battlefield in South Africa is characterized by eeriness and oddness. Thrown in his final resting place uncoffined, Hodge will forever remain a “portion of that unknown plain,” (13), dwelling in the “dusty loam” (10) and growing “to some Southern tree” (16). In these cases, consequently, the reader realizes how alien and ill fated the boy’s demise is, as the significance of his grave is reduced to a simple mound somewhere in a dirty, dusty terrain. The reference to “some Southern tree” is important as well, as Hardy implies how wrong it is for the boy’s Northern organs to be left to grow to some random tree in South Africa. The description of the setting evolves even further as Hardy writes “foreign constellations west / Each night above his mound” (5-6), thus taking notice of the stars that can be seen in South Africa and how they aren’t the ones that Drummer Hodge would see if he were still in England. Lying there, facing up for the rest of eternity, Hodge cannot even find familiarity in the constellations that reside above him. Effectively, the image thoroughly conveys the unfortunate strangeness of Hodge’s new and final environment. Hardy comes back to visual imagery of the sky multiple times throughout “Drummer Hodge,” stating that the boy never even knew why he was left to view, nightly, the “Strange stars amid the gloam” (12). He finishes the poem with yet another similar phrase, writing “strange-eyed constellation reign / His stars eternally” (17-18). Accordingly, this repetition of the same type of visual imagery hammers home Hardy’s sentiment towards the death of Drummer Hodge, one that’s illustrated by a deep foreignness.
Additionally, if one were to look closely at the stanza structure of the poem, they would glean a great amount of information that would amplify this feeling of strangeness. In observing “Drummer Hodge,” one easily sees that it exhibits a strict ABAB rhyme scheme and consists of three separate stanzas, each consisting of six fairly short lines. Where the stanza structure becomes truly unique, however, is when one looks at the context of each individual stanza. From writing about throwing the boy into his grave, to asserting that he didn’t know the reason for fighting, to emphasizing that he’ll forever inhabit a specific location, Hardy devotes the first two lines of each stanza to Drummer Hodge. Correspondingly, the next two lines in each stanza relate to the topography of South Africa. In these instances, Hardy typically makes use of native vernacular in order to justly express the oddness of the place. Staying consistent, Hardy then ends each stanza by incorporating the night sky into the poem. The foreignness of the place is so absolute that Hardy seems to run out of new things to say or communicate. He simply goes in clear circles, ultimately concluding his poem by depicting the night sky for a third straight time in the same fashion as those before. Hardy even borrows the words “strange” (12) and “constellation” (5) from the two previous observations just to make a third one. In effect, the cyclical nature of the stanza structure of “Drummer Hodge” explicitly demonstrates just how alien the South African environment truthfully is.
Similarly, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Crossing the Bar” exhibits an equally distinct stanza structure. Like “Drummer Hodge,” “Crossing the Bar” possesses an ABAB rhyme scheme, but has four stanzas consisting of four lines. Uniquely though, the context of the stanzas themselves actually mirror the ABAB rhyme scheme. Upon comparing the first and third stanzas, one can veritably see that the first line in each deals with the evening. Both the second and third lines in each start off with the word “and,” and hope for little grief or sadness. Then, each stanza concludes with the narrator basically ending his blissful train of thought by saying “when” he heads out to sea. Correspondingly, the second and fourth stanzas each center on the scope and magnitude of death. The words “but” and “for” to start each respective stanza are employed in the same manner, introducing a new thought before words such as full, boundless, deep, and far portray the sea and life after death. This ABAB stanza structure thus creates a flow that is characterized by push and pull. Perhaps most obviously, this can be seen when comparing the ending lines of stanza two and stanza three. “Turns again home” (8) and “When I embark” (12) represent polar opposites. Giving the setting of “Crossing the Bar” yet another dimension vital to the understanding of the poem, the alternation between these two types of stanzas resembles tidal forces in a way, as the gravity of the narrator’s impending death pulls the poem in one direction and then in another.
Consequently, though they possess slightly different subject matter, the two poems contain many resemblances. Accordingly, in “Crossing the Bar” and “Drummer Hodge,” both Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and Thomas Hardy utilize comparable techniques regarding the implementation of rich imagery and distinctive stanza structures, which in turn effectively communicate the importance of the particular environment in each respective poem.
