In the Victorian Age, new scientific discoveries had shattered people’s faith in religion and God. Many people lost faith in life beyond death. They began to agree with those who believed that death is the end of life. Such thoughts were highly upsetting to men of faith like Tennyson. For some time Tennyson remained wavering. His faith was rudely shaken, but then he was finally able to overcome all his doubts. He was able to regain his faith in the immortality of the human soul and the existence of God.

‘Crossing the Bar’ is one of Tennyson’s prominent poems. It was written when the poet was eighty-one years old after his serious illness. It may be considered his testament as well as his epitaph.

‘Crossing the Bar’ imbibes his faith in life beyond death. He takes the traditional, religious image and symbol of the journey of the soul from, and to, its real home, that is, heaven, and makes it the central metaphor in this poem. He anticipates his death and believes that his passage from this life to the next will be smooth, like a ship which easily clears the sand-bar and comes into the open sea. He wants to be calm and quiet at the time of death, free from all cares and anxieties. This is what all religions teach. Death is inevitable and inescapable. It should be accepted in a calm and cheerful mood. We should not conceive it as something bad and cruel.

The second stanza of the poem clearly visualizes the journey of the soul. It will be easy and smooth if the mind is at peace. 

The poet is ready for death. He wants to see no sad scenes of parting :

And may there be no sadness of farewell, When I embark.

The last stanza embodies a fundamental Biblical belief in the immortality of the soul and meeting God face to face:

I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crost the bar.

We should remember that Jesus is regarded as the Pilot of the Church and guides the Christian’s life. The image of ‘crossing’ has obvious Christian connotations. Crossing refers to ‘crossing over’ into the next world. It also refers to the act of “crossing” oneself as a gesture of religious faith and devotion. Thus, the poem built upon the image of ‘crossing’ is essentially a poem of faith.

Though the philosophical or ethical ideas of the poem are edifying, yet what appeals to us about the poem is its metaphorical structure. The central metaphor is worked out quite effectively. The images are both relevant and effective. The images of the sunset, the evening star, the twilight, the evening bell are highly suggestive. They convey the idea of old age and the end of life effectively and help build the atmosphere and the mood in a proper way. The idea of God as Pilot is quite striking. The faithful among us accept it readily.