Look back on time with kindly eyes,
He doubtless did his best;
How softly sinks his trembling sun
In human nature's west!
Does this poem mean that "everything happens for a reason"?
If not then does anyone know of a poem with that meaning in the "Time and Eternity" section of her collection?
THANKS!
2007-10-18 18:58:39 · 8 answers · asked by Megan 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Poetry
Stay in school. Do your own homework. Eat your vegetables. Try to get along with others. And don't make your moma cry by cheating.
2007-10-19 03:42:51 · answer #1 · answered by Dancing Bee 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I read it as:
do not blame God for what happen in the past.
"How softly sinks his trembling sun" his sun being God
"He doubtless did his best" even if things did not go the way you wanted it is the grand scheme of things that count. Take responiblitity for your own actions.
"Look back on time with kindly eyes" do not gripe about the past, look back with fond memories for the good.
2007-10-18 19:14:28 · answer #2 · answered by Carl P 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Message: Time is a conception to measure eternity.
The past and present are conjoined together to create the eternal moment, the natural condition of time. Note that time is personified, 'He doubtless did his best' (past tense) and his "trembling sun," softly "sinks" (timeless present tense).
The poem echoes theme of Time, Eternity, and Immortality
in T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets:
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
Good luck
2007-10-18 19:59:42 · answer #3 · answered by ari-pup 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's about a man who lived his life as best he could, and now he's old and withering away in the trembling sun, but he's happy because he has no regrets.
So basically I think it means live life with no regrets, don't look back, etc.
That's what I think it means to the best of my understanding anyway.
2007-10-18 20:05:32 · answer #4 · answered by Nba4life 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means whatever's done is done. Time softens old hurts and tempers old joys. There's nothing more to do about it, nothing more you can do. You are mellowed and accepting of all the past, in fact, looking back at everything with kindly eyes. it's human nature. "west" refers to sunset, hence your older years.
2007-10-18 19:16:13 · answer #5 · answered by Madmunk 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
for the reason which you probably did not incorporate the piece this is particularly puzzling to respond to you. understanding her paintings besides the shown fact that, at the same time as not understanding your determination, I supply you fairly minutiae. different than for the actuality that she lived a reasonably tormented, short existence, one among her maximum properly huge-unfold works is probably below a hundred and fifty words and took her 10 years in dissatisfaction in varied rewrites, earlier it went to a writer.
2016-11-08 21:55:11 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing very good or very bad lasts for very long ...it's all just a moment in time .
2014-08-15 10:13:10 · answer #7 · answered by Jambone 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think it means not to have regrets about what youve done in the past.
2007-10-18 19:02:13 · answer #8 · answered by your_lucki_x_star 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋