Crossing the Bar

"Crossing the Bar"
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

This poem seems to explore death through a metaphor comparing death to sailing. In this poem, the act of crossing the bar is the act of dying. The speaker wants people not to mourn his death. This desire is suggested in two places. "And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea," and "And may there be no sadness of farewell When I embark" ( Tennyson). The moaning of the bar could represent mourning over the speaker who died by going out to sea.
Another aspect of death represented in this poem is the afterlife. Although not described, the speaker mentions the idea of an afterlife by expressing his desire to meet his Pilot face to face. The Pilot symbolizes God or the Creator. For this divine reason, the word Pilot is capitalized. By expressing his desire to see his Pilot, the speaker alters the mood of the poem from the sadness of death to hope for an afterlife.