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Question:

1.                 "A slumber did my spirit seal," says the poet. That is, a deep sleep 'closed off his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one's death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great peace?

2.                 The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?

3.                 How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a 'heaven')? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?

Answer:

1.                 The poet's reaction to his loved one's death is not of grief that he could be shed out in the form of tears. On her death, he did not experience any human fears but he had regret that he took things for granted. He just looked at her and though t how she looked and what she would experience later on. Hen ce, it is difficult to say i f he is experienci ng grief or is in a peaceful state of m ind.

2.                 The lines of the poem that show that the passing of time will no longer affect her are as follows: "She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthy years."

3.                   The poet thinks that she is a part of nature. After her cremation, he imagines her inside the earth with other rocks, stones, and trees and rolling around with the earth in its daily rotation. The following lines express this idea-Rolled round in earth's diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.