A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Thinking about the Poem

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?

Answer: It is not clear from the poem whether the poet feels bitter grief or a great peace. He says like that because he remains in a state of ignorance, which seals his soul that he does not have any human fears. He thinks that his beloved will not be affected with the passage of time.

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

Answer: The lines of the poem that say this are:

“She seemed a thing that could not feel

The touch of earthly years.”

Question 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: The poet imagines her to be in the grave of the earth. He feels that she has become a part of nature and like the rocks, stones and trees rolls round in earth’s daily course.

The lines of the poem that we find our answer in are:

“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course

With rocks and stones and trees.”