Crossing the Bar by Alfred Lord Tennyson - summary

This poem was written in the year 1889 by Tennyson and he died three years later. He was old and grappling with the idea of death, he wrote this poem.

The narrator is figuratively walking towards his end. He is nearing his death and he compares his impending death to crossing a sandbar (see the below image). 

Sandbar

It is nearly sunset and the evening star is visible in the sky. It means the poet has lived and savoured his life and now he is on the verge of death, here dusk is compared with old age.

He also receives confirmation from heaven that the time has come for him to return. As he returns, he doesn't want to disturb/erode the sandbar. But he has to cross it in order to reach the ocean.

Tennyson wants to get carried to heaven on a silent tide peacefully or while he is asleep. In other words, Tennyson wants to die peacefully or we can say that all he wants is painless death. 

The tide on which he will be carried, should not be full of foam which will make noise as tides make a sound when it wash upon the shore.

The narrator doesn't want it to happen. It may be that he wants to die in his sleep as he has reached such an age at which he knows that the end is near, so he wishes a painless death. He regards heaven as the ultimate "home" as everyone takes birth as human and he believes that prior to birth, heaven is our abode (home) and we have to return to heaven after our temporary stay as human life.

It is now twilight and the evening bell rings. Soon it will be getting dark. It means that his death is nearer and he reveals his wish that when he dies, no one should give him a sad farewell.

He believes that after he crosses the sandbar and moves towards the tides, the tides will take him to heaven which is oblivious to the concept of time and space. He hopes that there he will meet the "Pilot" face to face. Here, Tennyson refers to God by using the word "Pilot" for Him.

Tennyson is ready to embrace death as he knows that no one can escape death, it seems that knowing the futility of looking or running away from death, he accepts the advent of death when his time comes.