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Afterwards by Thomas Hardy – Line by Line Explanation, Word Meanings (Bengali/Urdu/Hindi), Summary, Analysis & Literary Devices

About the Poem Afterwards

Central Idea
  • Afterwards (written in 1917, published in Moments of Vision, 1917) is an elegiac, reflective lyric where Hardy imagines how he will be remembered after his death.

  • The recurring question: Will people remember me as a man who noticed the small, delicate beauties of nature and cared for humble creatures?

Themes
  1. Mortality – Life’s end is portrayed gently (as a “postern,” “stilled at last,” “bell of quittance”).

  2. Nature – Renewal of spring, dusk birds, hedgehogs, moths, and winter stars represent eternal cycles.

  3. Legacy & Memory – Hardy doesn’t ask for fame, only to be remembered as one who “noticed such things.”

  4. Human Limitations – Despite compassion (for animals, for beauty), he admits he “could do little.”

  5. Mystery & Eternity – Winter stars and the bell symbolize the unknown beyond life.

Tone & Style
  • Tone: Tender, humble, reflective, wistful.

  • Language: Simple, conversational, but full of natural imagery and symbolism.

  • Form: Five stanzas of four lines each, iambic pentameter (blank verse with occasional rhyme).

  • Refrain-like pattern: Each stanza ends with a quotation of how others may remember him.

Literary Significance
  • One of Hardy’s greatest late poems, written in old age.

  • Shows Hardy’s philosophy: resignation to death, faith in nature’s cycles, humility in legacy.

  • Reflects Victorian elegiac tradition (like Tennyson’s In Memoriam) but with Hardy’s realism and rural imagery.

  • Anticipates Modernist simplicity — plain words carrying deep meaning.

About the Poet: Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)

Life & Career
  • Born in Dorset, England (Wessex in his works).

  • Profession: Architect → turned to literature.

  • Two careers:

    1. Novelist (1860s–1890s) → famous for Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Jude the Obscure, Far from the Madding Crowd.

    2. Poet (mainly after 1895) → published over 900 poems across collections (Wessex Poems, Moments of Vision, Poems of 1912–13).

Literary Identity
  • Novels: Realist, tragic, socially critical; themes of fate, class, love, and rural life.

  • Poetry: Philosophical, elegiac, deeply personal; often meditating on time, death, nature, and memory.

  • Strong influence of Darwinism and agnostic thought: Life governed not by God but by chance, nature, and impersonal forces.

  • Stylistically:

    • Simple diction

    • Folk-ballad rhythms

    • Rural imagery

    • Symbolism & irony

    • Deeply anti-romantic in its tragic realism

Achievements & Legacy
  • Recognized as a major Victorian novelist and one of the greatest English poets of the 20th century.

  • Transition figure: from Victorian to Modernist literature.

  • Admired by modern poets like T.S. Eliot, Philip Larkin, and W.H. Auden.

  • Buried in Poets’ Corner, Westminster Abbey (though his heart was buried in Dorset).

Quick Pointers

  • Genre: Elegiac lyric, meditative poem.

  • Collection: Moments of Vision (1917).

  • Structure: 5 quatrains, iambic pentameter, conversational refrain.

  • Key motifs: Postern (death’s gate), May leaves, dusk hawk, hedgehog, winter stars, funeral bell.

  • Philosophy: Hardy’s “stoic humanism” — acceptance of death, compassion for life, finding meaning in noticing.

  • Poet’s identity: Major Victorian novelist & modern poet, bridging two literary eras.

Stanza 1

Line-by-Line Simple Explanation

1. “When the Present has latched its postern behind my tremulous stay,”

  • Meaning: When my life is over (the “present” closes the little gate—postern—after my fragile existence).

  • Simple: After I die, and the world shuts its door on my weak life.

2. “And the May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings,”

  • Meaning: In the springtime of May, the fresh green leaves move joyfully in the wind like bird wings.

  • Simple: The spring leaves move in the air like happy wings.

3. “Delicate-filmed as new-spun silk, will the neighbours say,”

  • Meaning: The thin, delicate texture of leaves is as fine as freshly woven silk. Then Hardy wonders if people will say something about him.

  • Simple: Leaves are as soft as silk. Will people talk about me?

4. “He was a man who used to notice such things”

  • Meaning: Will people remember me as someone who cared about and noticed little beauties of nature?

  • Simple: Will they say, “He loved to notice small things in nature”?

Word Meanings in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali (Simplest)
WordUrduHindiBengaliMeaning (English)
Presentحالवर्तमानবর্তমানCurrent time
Latchedبند کیاबंद कियाআটকানোClosed/fastened
Posternچھوٹا دروازہपिछला दरवाज़ाছোট দরজাSmall back gate
Tremulousکانپتا ہواकाँपता हुआকাঁপাShaking, weak
StayقیامठहरावথাকাLife, remaining
MayمئیमईমেMonth of May
Flapsپھڑپھڑاناफड़फड़ानाডানা ঝাপটানোMove like wings
Gladخوشखुशআনন্দিতJoyful
Leavesپتےपत्तेপাতাGreen parts of plant
WingsپرपंखডানাWings of birds
Delicateنازکनाज़ुकসূক্ষ্মFragile, soft
Filmedجھلیझिल्लीপাতলা আস্তরণThin covering
SilkریشمरेशमরেশমFine soft cloth
Neighboursپڑوسیपड़ोसीপ্রতিবেশীPeople living nearby
Noticeغور کرناध्यान देनाখেয়াল করাObserve, see
Thingsچیزیںचीज़ेंজিনিসপত্রObjects, matters
Summary and Critical Analysis

This stanza reflects Hardy’s awareness of death and legacy. He imagines a time “afterwards” when he will no longer exist, symbolized by the “postern” (a small back door) closing after his “tremulous stay” (his fragile life). He contrasts death with the lively, renewing energy of nature in May—the leaves fluttering like wings, delicate as silk. Then comes his quiet, humble wish: will people remember him as someone who truly noticed and cherished the small beauties of the natural world?

Critical analysis:

  • Hardy is not concerned with fame or grand legacy, but with being remembered as an observer of beauty.

  • The imagery of silk, wings, and May emphasizes nature’s renewal, highlighting the contrast between human mortality and nature’s eternal cycle.

  • The tone is gentle, reflective, almost wistful, showing Hardy’s acceptance of death but also his desire for meaningful remembrance.

  • The stanza mixes melancholy with tenderness, making it both personal and universal.

Literary Devices (Table with Explanation)
DeviceExample (Words)Explanation
Metaphor“Present has latched its postern”Life ending is compared to a gate being closed.
Personification“Present has latched”Time (Present) acts like a person shutting a door.
Symbolism“Postern”Symbol of transition from life to death.
Alliteration“flaps its glad green leaves”Repetition of ‘g’ sound for musical rhythm.
Simile“leaves like wings”Leaves compared to wings.
Simile“Delicate-filmed as new-spun silk”Leaves compared to silk threads.
Imagery“Glad green leaves,” “new-spun silk”Visual and tactile sensory imagery.
ToneWhole stanzaReflective, tender, humble.
Rhetorical Question“Will the neighbours say…?”A question not seeking answer but showing inner wish.
ContrastFragile human life vs. eternal renewal of natureCreates emotional depth.

Stanza 2

Line-by-Line Simple Explanation

1. “If it be in the dusk when, like an eyelid’s soundless blink,”

  • Meaning: At twilight (dusk), when the evening falls suddenly and silently, like the quiet closing of an eyelid.

  • Simple: When evening comes quietly, like a blink of the eye.

2. “The dewfall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight”

  • Meaning: A hawk (nightjar or twilight bird) flies across the dim shadows of dusk to land.

  • Simple: A bird flies in the evening shadows to settle down.

3. “Upon the wind-warped upland thorn, a gazer may think,”

  • Meaning: The bird lands on a crooked thorn bush bent by the wind, on the hilltop. Someone watching might think of Hardy.

  • Simple: The bird sits on a thorny bush shaped by the wind, and someone looking might remember Hardy.

4. “To him this must have been a familiar sight.”

  • Meaning: Observers may say Hardy often noticed such moments of evening birds and natural scenes.

  • Simple: People may remember: “He often saw such sights.”

Word Meanings in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali (Simplest)
WordUrdu (اردو)Hindi (हिंदी)Bengali (বাংলা)Meaning (English)
Duskغروب کا وقتसंध्याগোধূলিEvening light
Eyelidپلکपलकচোখের পাতাCover of the eye
Blinkجھپکناझपकनाচোখের পলকQuick closing of eyes
Soundlessبے آوازबिना आवाज़নিঃশব্দWithout sound
Blinkجھپکझपकপলক ফেলাQuick eye close
Dewfallشبنم گرناओस गिरनाশিশির পড়াDew dropping
HawkبازबाजবাজপাখিBird of prey
Shadesسائےछायाছায়াShadows, darkness
AlightاترناउतरनाবসাLand, settle
Wind-warpedہوا سے مڑا ہواहवा से टेढ़ाহাওয়ায় বেঁকানোTwisted by wind
Uplandبلند زمینऊँची भूमिউঁচু জমিHigh ground
ThornکانٹاकाँटाকাঁটাThorny plant
Gazerدیکھنے والاदेखने वालाদর্শকObserver
FamiliarمانوسपरिचितপরিচিতKnown, usual
Sightمنظرदृश्यদৃশ্যScene, view
Summary and Critical Analysis

This stanza again dwells on Hardy’s wish for remembrance. The poet imagines dusk, a symbol of death, falling silently like a blinking eyelid. At this time, a bird (the “dewfall-hawk,” often taken as a nightjar) crosses the dim evening sky and perches on a thorn bush bent by the wind. Hardy wonders if future observers will connect such natural sights to him—will they say, “This is what Hardy loved and watched”?

Critical analysis:

  • The stanza emphasizes Hardy’s closeness to ordinary yet beautiful details of nature.

  • Dusk is symbolic of mortality, but the bird landing suggests continuity and life moving forward.

  • Hardy expresses a humble, modest hope—not for fame, but to be remembered as a man who noticed twilight birds and simple natural sights.

  • The imagery contrasts silence and movement (soundless blink vs. hawk crossing), mirroring life and death.

  • Tone remains reflective, blending melancholy with peace.

Literary Devices (Table with Explanation)
DeviceExample (Words)Explanation
Simile“like an eyelid’s soundless blink”Twilight compared to a silent blink.
MetaphorDusk = blink of an eyelidEvening compared to human action.
Personification“dusk…blink”Evening is given human ability.
Imagery“dewfall-hawk… wind-warped upland thorn”Creates vivid visual picture of bird and thorn.
SymbolismDusk = death; Hawk = fleeting beauty of natureDeep symbolic meaning.
Alliteration“wind-warped”Repetition of ‘w’ sound for effect.
ContrastSilent dusk vs. moving birdShows tension between stillness and activity.
ToneGentle, reflectiveMood is meditative.
Rhetorical Suggestion“To him this must have been a familiar sight”Suggests memory and connection with poet’s life.

Stanza 3

Line-by-Line Simple Explanation

1. “If I pass during some nocturnal blackness, mothy and warm,”

  • Meaning: If I die at night, in the dark, warm atmosphere filled with moths.

  • Simple: If I leave the world on a warm, dark night when moths are flying.

2. “When the hedgehog travels furtively over the lawn,”

  • Meaning: When the small hedgehog quietly and secretly moves across the grass.

  • Simple: When a hedgehog secretly walks on the grass at night.

3. “One may say, ‘He strove that such innocent creatures should come to no harm,’”

  • Meaning: People might say Hardy cared about harmless creatures like hedgehogs and wished to protect them.

  • Simple: They may say, “He wanted little animals to stay safe.”

4. “But he could do little for them; and now he is gone.”

  • Meaning: But Hardy had limited power to protect them, and now he is dead.

  • Simple: But he could not do much for them, and now he is no more.

Word Meanings in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali (Simplest)
WordUrdu (اردو)Hindi (हिंदी)Bengali (বাংলা)Meaning (English)
Passگزر جاناगुजर जानाচলে যাওয়াTo die, to depart
Nocturnalرات کاरात्रि काনিশাচরOf the night
Blacknessتاریکیअंधकारঅন্ধকারDarkness
Mothyپروں والا کیڑاपतंगा जैसाপোকামাকড় ভরাFull of moths
Warmگرمगर्मউষ্ণWarm temperature
Hedgehogکانٹوں والا جانورकांटेदार जानवरকাঁটাওয়ালা জন্তুSmall spiny animal
TravelsچلناचलनाচলাফেরাMoves, walks
Furtivelyچھپکے سےछुपकरগোপনেSecretly, quietly
Lawnلان (گھاس کا میدان)लॉन (घास का मैदान)লন (ঘাসের মাঠ)Grass field
Stroveکوشش کیप्रयास कियाচেষ্টা করেছিলTried hard
Innocentمعصومमासूमনির্দোষHarmless
Creaturesمخلوقजीवপ্রাণীLiving beings
Harmنقصانहानिক্ষতিDamage, injury
Goneچلا گیاचला गयाচলে গেছেDead, departed
Summary + Critical Analysis (Combined)

This stanza connects Hardy’s legacy with his compassion for humble, defenseless creatures. He imagines himself dying on a warm, moth-filled night, while a hedgehog quietly crosses a garden lawn. He hopes people will remember that he cared about protecting such small animals. Yet, he accepts his human limitation: he could not protect them much, and now, in death, he can do nothing at all.

Critical analysis:

  • Hardy emphasizes his empathy not for grand causes but for tiny, overlooked beings (hedgehogs, moths).

  • This reveals his humane philosophy—value lies in kindness and sensitivity to life in all forms.

  • The stanza highlights the contrast between intention and power: Hardy tried but could not do much, showing both humility and realism.

  • The imagery of “nocturnal blackness” creates a mood of death and mystery, while the hedgehog introduces innocence.

  • The tone is tender, self-effacing, and reflective.

Literary Devices (Table with Explanation)

DeviceExample (Words)Explanation
Imagery“Nocturnal blackness, mothy and warm”Creates a sensory picture of night with heat and moths.
SymbolismHedgehog = innocence, vulnerabilityRepresents small creatures Hardy cared for.
Alliteration“Hedgehog… furtively… lawn”Soft repetition adds flow.
Irony“He strove… but he could do little”Shows the gap between intention and result.
ToneGentle, regretful, compassionateReflective about human limits.
ContrastEffort vs. powerlessnessHardy’s kindness vs. inability.
Pathos“Now he is gone”Evokes sadness and sympathy.
Personification“nocturnal blackness”Night described with living qualities.

Stanza 4

Line-by-Line Simple Explanation

1. “If, when hearing that I have been stilled at last, they stand at the door,”

  • Meaning: If people hear that I have finally died (my life stilled), and they stand by the doorway.

  • Simple: When they hear I am dead, and they stand at the door.

2. “Watching the full-starred heavens that winter sees,”

  • Meaning: Looking at the winter sky filled with bright stars.

  • Simple: They see the clear winter night sky full of stars.

3. “Will this thought rise on those who will meet my face no more,”

  • Meaning: Will those who can never see me again have this thought?

  • Simple: Will they think about me when I am gone?

4. “‘He was one who had an eye for such mysteries’?”

  • Meaning: Will people remember me as someone who loved and noticed the mysteries of the night sky?

  • Simple: Will they say, “He noticed the mysteries of stars and skies”?

Word Meanings in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali (Simplest)
WordUrdu (اردو)Hindi (हिंदी)Bengali (বাংলা)Meaning (English)
HearingسنناसुननाশোনাListening
Stilledخاموش ہوا / رکاशांत हुआ / थमाথেমে গেছেStopped, silenced (death)
Doorدروازہदरवाज़ाদরজাDoorway
WatchingدیکھناदेखनाদেখাLooking
Full-starredستاروں سے بھراतारों से भराনক্ষত্রে ভরাFilled with stars
HeavensآسمانआकाशআকাশSky, firmament
Winterسردی کا موسمसर्दी का मौसमশীতCold season
Thoughtخیالविचारচিন্তাIdea, memory
RiseاٹھناउठनाওঠাTo come up
Meetملناमिलनाদেখা করাTo see, encounter
Mysteriesرازरहस्यরহস্যSecrets, wonders
Summary and Critical Analysis

Here Hardy imagines the moment after his death, when people stand outside their houses looking at the star-filled winter sky. He wonders if they will think of him as a man who had a deep appreciation for life’s mysteries — especially the beauty of the heavens.

Critical analysis:

  • The “stilled at last” is a gentle metaphor for death, softening its harshness.

  • The star-filled winter sky symbolizes both mystery and eternity, contrasting human mortality with cosmic permanence.

  • Hardy’s desire is not for grandeur or fame but for being remembered as someone sensitive to beauty and mystery.

  • The stanza emphasizes memory, mystery, and mortality, central themes of the poem.

  • Tone: meditative, cosmic, and humble.

Literary Devices (Table with Explanation)
DeviceExample (Words)Explanation
Metaphor“stilled at last”Death described as stillness.
Imagery“full-starred heavens that winter sees”Vivid picture of a clear starry night.
SymbolismWinter sky = mystery of eternityRepresents cosmic wonder and the unknown.
Personification“this thought rise”Thought rising as though alive.
ToneGentle, meditative, reverentMood of cosmic reflection.
Rhetorical Question“Will this thought rise…”Reflects Hardy’s self-doubt about remembrance.
ContrastMortal death vs. immortal starsHighlights fragility of human life.
Alliteration“full-starred… sees”Soft repetition adds flow.

Stanza 5

Line-by-Line Simple Explanation

1. “And will any say when my bell of quittance is heard in the gloom,”

  • Meaning: When the church bell tolls for my death (“bell of quittance” = funeral bell), will anyone say something about me?

  • Simple: When the death bell rings in the dark, will people speak of me?

2. “And a crossing breeze cuts a pause in its outrollings,”

  • Meaning: When the sound of the bell is interrupted for a moment by a passing wind.

  • Simple: When the wind breaks the bell’s ringing sound.

3. “Till they rise again, as they were a new bell’s boom,”

  • Meaning: Then the bell sounds again, as if starting fresh, like a new ringing.

  • Simple: Then the sound begins again, as if a new bell rang.

4. “‘He hears it not now, but used to notice such things?’”

  • Meaning: Will people say Hardy can no longer hear the bell, but he was once someone who noticed and cared about such small details?

  • Simple: Will they say, “He cannot hear it now, but once he noticed such things”?

Word Meanings in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali (Simplest)
WordUrdu (اردو)Hindi (हिंदी)Bengali (বাংলা)Meaning (English)
Bellگھنٹیघंटीঘণ্টাBell
Quittanceرخصتی / بخششमुक्ति / छुटकाराমুক্তি / পরিত্রাণRelease, here = death/funeral
Gloomاندھیراअंधेराঅন্ধকারDarkness
Crossingگزرنے والیगुजरती हुईঅতিক্রম করাPassing
Breezeہوا کا جھونکاहवा का झोंकाহাওয়ার ঝাপটাLight wind
Cutsکاٹناकाटताকেটে দেয়Breaks, interrupts
PauseوقفہविरामবিরতিShort stop
Outrollingsپھیلتی گھنٹی کی آوازगूँजती घंटी की ध्वनिঘণ্টার ধ্বনি ছড়ানোSpreading sound of bell
Boomگونجगूंजধ্বনিLoud sound
HearsسنتاसुनताশোনেTo listen
Noticeغور کیاध्यान दियाখেয়াল করেছেTo observe
Thingsچیزیںचीज़ेंজিনিসপত্রObjects, matters
Summary annd Critical Analysis

This final stanza closes the poem with Hardy’s ultimate question: after the funeral bell rings for him, will people remember him as someone who noticed small, delicate details of life? The sound of the bell, interrupted and renewed by the wind, symbolizes both life’s fragility and its ongoing cycles. Hardy accepts he cannot hear the bell anymore, but hopes others will recall that he once paid attention to such fleeting, unnoticed experiences.

Critical analysis:

  • “Bell of quittance” symbolizes death and release, tying back to mortality.

  • The imagery of wind interrupting the bell emphasizes impermanence and the fragility of human presence.

  • The repetition of “notice such things” (also seen in stanza one) circles back to Hardy’s modest wish: not fame, but remembrance as a quiet observer.

  • The stanza binds together themes of death, memory, and sensitivity to nature and detail.

  • Tone: gentle, resigned, yet peaceful.

Literary Devices (Table with Explanation)
DeviceExample (Words)Explanation
Symbolism“Bell of quittance”Symbol of death and final release.
Imagery“Crossing breeze cuts a pause”Vivid sensory picture of sound interrupted by wind.
Alliteration“Bell… boom”Repetition of ‘b’ adds rhythm.
MetaphorFuneral bell = death’s announcementAbstract concept made concrete.
Personification“Breeze cuts a pause”Breeze acts like a person cutting sound.
ToneReflective, final, peacefulConcludes poem with calm acceptance.
Repetition“Notice such things”Recalls earlier stanza, closing the circle.
ContrastSound (bell) vs. silence (death)Highlights Hardy’s absence.

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