Afterwards -Hardy

5ummary
Stanza 1 Summary
CeL ouL Lhe mlcroscope because we're aolna Lhrouah Lhls poem llnebvllne
Lin
WHEN the Present has latched its postern behind mv tremulous stav.
O @he speaker sLarLs off on a cheerful noLe Lhese flrsL llnes baslcallv sav When lm dead Cf
course Pardv doesnL puL lL so blunLlv and some of hls lanauaae ls preLLv amblauous LeLs look
more closelv aL Lhe lanauaae Lhe resenL ls shuLLlna Lhe back door (posLern) on Lhe
speakers llfe
O @he facL LhaL Llme (resenL) ls laLchlna Lhe bock Joot on Lhe speakers llfe suaaesLs LhaL hes
afrald LhaL hell sllp awav and wonL be remembered aL all
O @remulous sLav ls also dlfflculL lL refers Lo hls sLav on earLh or hls llfe Whv would he call
hls llfe Lremulous or Lrembllna? ls lL because as an old man Lhe poeLs hands arenL as
sLeadv as Lhev used Lo be? Mavbe buL lL could also be more unlversal Lhan LhaL erhaps Lhe
poeL ls suaaesLlna LhaL all llfe ls uncerLaln and shakv
O SLav also suaaesLs Lhe ldea of sLrucLural supporL (sLavs are Lhe ropes LhaL help supporL Lhe
masL and salls on bla salllna shlps and Lhe word also descrlbes oLher klnds of supporL sLrucLures
llke ln oldfashloned ladvs underaarmenLs) SLav lmplles sLrucLure and sLeadv supporL and
Lremulous means shakv so Lhe [uxLaposlLlon of Lremulous and sLav creaLes an oxvmoron
or a conLradlcLlon ln Lerms
Lins -
nd the Mav month flaps its glad green leaves like wings.
Delicate-filmed as new-spun silk.
O @he speaker has lmaalned LhaL he ls dead buL lnsLead of followlna LhaL up wlLh a bleak wlnLrv
landscape he savs LhaL lLs sprlnaLlme Lhls comes as a blL of a surprlse
O @he words dellcaLe and newspun sllk could descrlbe Lhe new sprlna leaves on Lhe Lrees
(whlch are afLer all verv dellcaLe and Lender when Lhev flrsL come ouL) buL dellcaLe and
newspunsllk could also be palred wlLh Lhe wlnas so Lhe alad areen leaves are as
dellcaLe as buLLerflv wlnas
O Sllk Lhe fabrlc of cholce for manv ln Lhe 1990s ls produced from Lhe cocoons of Lhe sllkworm
so Lhe newspun sllk alLhouah referrlna mosL obvlouslv Lo Lhe dellcaLe sllkv new leaves ln
Lhe monLh of Mav also suaaesLs cocoons and meLamorphosls from caLerplllar lnLo moLh or
buLLerflv
O @heres a loL of movemenL ln Lhls descrlpLlon (flapplna splnnlna sllk new arowLh)
conslderlna LhaL Lhe speaker of Lhe poem ls lmaalnlna Lhe world afLer hls deaLh
Lins -
( will the neighbours sav.
"He was a man who used to notice such things"?
O @he speaker wonders wheLher afLer he has dled hls nelahbors wlll remember LhaL he used Lo
en[ov Lhe sprlnaLlme
O @hls quesLlon ls repeaLed aL Lhe end of each sLanza llke a repeaLlna chorus or refraln @he
quesLlon of whaL hls nelahbors wlll Lhlnk of hlm afLer he has dled becomes almosL an obsesslon
for Lhe speaker
Stanza 2 Summary
CeL ouL Lhe mlcroscope because we're aolna Lhrouah Lhls poem llnebvllne
Lins -
f it be in the dusk when. like an evelids soundless blink.
The dewfall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight
Upon the wind-warped upland thorn.
O Llnes 37 elaboraLe on Lhe scene lLs dusk lLs a loL aloomler Lhan Lhe sprlnaLlme scene of Lhe
flrsL sLanza and a dewfallhawk (le a hawk LhaL comes ouL aL dewfall or dusk) flles as
quleLlv as vou bllnk (compleLelv sllenLlv unless vou hana casLaneLs on vour evelashes) and lands
on a shrub
O -o dewfallhawk lsnL a real specles of hawk so donL boLher looklna lL up ln vour blrd auldes
O ln llne 3 lLs noL lmmedlaLelv clear whaL Lhe lL ls LhaL Lhe speaker ls referrlna Lo ln Lhe flrsL llne
of Lhls sLanza buL he seems Lo be referrlna Lo Lhe momenL of hls deaLh and lmaalnlna LhaL lL
wlll Lake place aL dusk
Lins -8
( a gazer mav think.
"To him this must have been a familiar sight."
O aaln Lhe speaker repeaLs Lhe quesLlon of wheLher people wlll remember hlm buL Lhls Llme lLs
noL phrased as a quesLlon buL as a sLaLemenL
O Pes sLlll noL cerLaln LhaL hell be remembered Lhouah Lhe whole sLanza ls a hvpoLheLlcal
sLaLemenL (lf) and he onlv savs LhaL Lhe aazer ov Lhlnk -oL nearlv as confldenL as Lhe
aazer wlll Lhlnk
O lso hes swlLched from lmaalnlna whaL hls nelahbours wlll Lhlnk of hlm Lo whaL Lhe more
anonvmous aazer mlahL Lhlnk


Stanza 3 Summary
CeL ouL Lhe mlcroscope because we're aolna Lhrouah Lhls poem llnebvllne
Lin 9
f pass during some nocturnal blackness. mothv and warm.
O lL sLarLs aaaln wlLh Lhe hvpoLheLlcal lf now Lhe speaker ls lmaalnlna whaL mlahL happen lf he
should pass or dle on a warm summer nlahL
O MoLhv seems llke a welrd word cholce lL remlnds us of summer nlahLs when moLhs are
fllLLlna around ouLslde (or lnslde lf vou donL have screens up) buL lL also sounds klnd of llke
moLheaLen
Lins -
When the hedgehog travels furtivelv over the lawn.
One mav sav. "He strove that such innocent creatures should come to no harm.
But he could do little for them, and now he is gone."
O Cn Lhe warm summer nlahL descrlbed above Lhe speaker lmaalnes a hedaehoa sneaklna
(furLlvelv) across Lhe arass
O Whv ls Lhe hedaehoa belna furLlve? Well lLs a wlld anlmal and lLs on a humans lawn so
lLs probablv ln danaer of belna Lrapped or shoL aL or shooed awav
O @he nexL llne suaaesLs LhaL Lhe speaker would llke Lo be remembered as a proLecLor of Lhese
lnnocenL anlmals llke Lhe hedaehoa
O uL Lhe lasL llne of Lhe sLanza klnd of deflaLes LhaL ldea people mlahL remember hlm as a
hedaehoa lover buL Lhevll also remember LhaL he wasnL able Lo do much Lo help Lhem and
now LhaL hes dead and aone he canL do a Lhlna
O @hls ls awfullv sad Lhe speaker ls obvlouslv allve as he ls wrlLlna and hes lmaalnlna LhaL afLer
hes dead hls llfe amblLlons (Lo Lake care of lnnocenL creaLures) wlll have been for noLhlna
Stanza 4 Summary
CeL ouL Lhe mlcroscope because we're aolna Lhrouah Lhls poem llnebvllne
Lins -
f. when hearing that have been stilled at last. thev stand at the door.
Watching the full-starred heavens that winter sees.
O noLher sLanza openlna wlLh LhaL hvpoLheLlcal lf consLrucLlon!
O -ow Lhe speaker lmaalnes LhaL hls frlends and nelahbors wlll hear abouL hls deaLh whlle
sLandlna ln an open doorwav looklna up aL Lhe nlahL skv (LxcepL LhaL lLs a wlnLer skv Lhev
probablv shouldnL be sLandlna wlLh Lhe door open)
Lins -
Will this thought rise on those who will meet mv face no more.
"He was one who had an eve for such mvsteries"?
O @he speaker wonders wheLher Lhe nlahL skv wlll lnsplre hls frlends Lo remember hlm as
someone who loved sLaraazlna
O @hls sLanza llke sLanzas 1 and 3 ls consLrucLed as a quesLlon
Stanza 5 Summary
CeL ouL Lhe mlcroscope because we're aolna Lhrouah Lhls poem llnebvllne
Lin
nd will anv sav when mv bell of quittance is heard in the gloom.
O @hls ls Lhe flrsL sLanza slnce Lhe flrsL LhaL does ot open wlLh lf lL sLarLs wlLh a quesLlon
lnsLead
O @he bell of qulLLance ls Lhe bell LhaL ls Lolled aL a church when someone dles
O @he speaker lmaalnes a klnd of cllched aloom around hls own deaLh llke lf voure feellna
anasLv and vou lmaalne LhaL whoever lL was LhaL voure anarv aL wlll aL leasL feel sorrv afLer
voure dead
Lins 8-
nd a crossing breeze cuts a pause in its out-rollings.
Till thev rise again. as thev were a new bells boom.
"He hears it not now. but used to notice such things"?
O @he Lolllna of Lhe bell LhaL Lhe speaker lmaalnes ls momenLarllv lnLerrupLed bv a cross breeze
O @he ouLrolllnas refer Lo Lhe sound of Lhe bell buL lLs a madeup word and lL sounds klnd of
llke a wave on Lhe ocean LhaL mlahL pull a swlmmer ouL under Lhe rolllna waves
O fLer Lhe brlef lnLerrupLlon Lo Lhe sound of Lhe bell from Lhe breeze Lhe ouLrolllnas of Lhe
bell are heard aaaln
O fLer Lhe pause lL almosL seems llke a new bell
O @he phrase rlse aaaln and Lhe emphasls on new bells boom suaaesLs a posslble hopeful noLe
aL Lhe end of Lhls aloomv poem mavbe Lheres a posslblllLv of llfe afLer deaLh for Lhe poeL? L
leasL he mlahL llve on ln Lhe mlnds and memorles of hls nelahbors? Mavbe?
O @he flnal llne ls back Lo Lhe doom and aloom Lhe speakers frlends and nelahbors sav Lo
Lhemselves LhaL Lhe speaker used Lo noLlce such Lhlnas llke Lhe cool effecL Lhe wlnd had on
Lhe sound of Lhe bell buL hes pasL carlna abouL such Lhlnas now
O Slnce Lhe flnal sLanza ls one lona senLence LhaL ls sLrucLured as a quesLlon Lhe enLlre poem ends
wlLh a quesLlon mark perhaps lnvlLlna Lhe reader Lo lnLerpreL lL

a|ys|s
Symbolism. Imagery & Wordplay
r's mor to a pom tan mts t y.
Welcome to the land oI symbols, imagery, and wordplay. BeIore you travel any Iurther, please
know that there may be some thorny academic terminology ahead. Never Iear, Shmoop is here.
Check out our "How to Read a Poem" section Ior a glossary oI terms.
How many diffrnt synonyms for dat can [a tink of?
%he poem is a meditation on death, but the speaker never once uses the words "death" or "die."
How does he manage that? By using a slew oI euphemisms to describe death, and by employing
a lot oI Iigurative language. Why doesn't he use the word "death"? Why not be more explicit,
since that's what the poem is pretty obviously getting at? Maybe because he doesn't want "death"
to sound so Iinal. In this poem, people continue to exist aIter they die, iI only in the memories oI
their Iriends and neighbors.
O @he LlLle fLerwards refers Lo Lhe speakers deaLh an evenL LhaL aL Lhe Llme of wrlLlna
obvlouslv hadnL happened veL (slnce Lhe poem wasnL wrlLLen bv a zomble Pardv) @heres also
a posslble here Lhe speaker ls Lhlnklna abouL whaL wlll happen afLer wotJs WhaL wlll
happen Lo hls memorv as a poeL? Wlll people remember hls words afLer hes dead?
O Llne 1 Peres Lhe flrsL exLended metaphor descrlblna deaLh ueaLh ls when Lhe resenL
momenL closes or laLches Lhe posLern (back door) on Lhe speakers Lremulous sLav or
Lrembllna llfe @he posLern ls an oldfashloned word even for Pardvs Llme lL usuallv refers
Lo Lhe back door of a bla casLle or forLress uslna LhaL word lnsLead of fronL door suaaesLs
LhaL Lhe poeL mlahL be afrald LhaL no one wlll noLlce hls deaLh lLll be llke sllpplna quleLlv ouL a
back door
O Llne 3 @he s|m||e ln Lhls llne (llke an evellds soundless bllnk) refers Lo Lhe fllahL of Lhe
dewfallhawk of llne 6 buL lL could also make Lhe reader Lhlnk of Lhe poeLs deaLh Llke Lhe
posLern of llne 1 Lhls lmaae could reflecL Lhe poeLs anxleLv LhaL he wonL be remembered
when he dles hell [usL dle quleLlv llke an evellds soundless bllnk
O Llne 12 Peres a common euphem|sm for deaLh Lhe nelahbors sav now he ls aone lnsLead of
now he ls dead @he word aone suaaesLs LhaL Lhe speaker has moved on Lo someLhlna else
lL doesnL suaaesL Lhe klnd of flnallLv LhaL dead does
O Llne 14 Peres anoLher euphem|sm Lhe speaker savs sLllled lnsLead of dead Sounds klnd of
peaceful doesnL lL?
O Llne 13 @he speaker uses syecdoche when he savs LhaL hls nelahbors wlll meeL mv face no
more he wrlLes face as a sLandln for Lhe whole person
O Llne 17 @he bell of qulLLance or Lhe bell LhaL Lolls when a person dles metoym|ca||y refers
Lo Lhe speakers deaLh Lhrouah assoclaLlon
atur and Rnwal
or all the euphemisms and metaphors describing death in this poem, there are a lot oI more
upbeat images oI nature, liIe, and renewal, too. %hank goodness, or this poem would be
depressing as heck. As it is, the natural images balance out some oI the more melancholy bits
that we pointed out above.
O Llne 2 @he a|||terat|o of Mav monLh and alad areen draws aLLenLlon Lo Lhe naLural lmaaes
of sprlna ln Lhls sLanza creaLlna almosL a sklpplna rhvLhm ln Lhls llne @he s|m||e aL Lhe end of
Lhe llne compares Lhe areen leaves Lo blrds wlnas
O Llne 3 3 6 14 18 @he poeL sure llkes maklna up compound words Lo descrlbe beauLlful lmaaes
ln naLure doesnL he? Whv are Lhere so manv compound words here? lLs as Lhouah common
Lnallsh words are lnadequaLe Lo descrlbe Lhe beauLv he wanLed Lo convev so he comes up wlLh
hls own words Lo do Lhe [ob Words llke dellcaLefllmed (3) and fullsLarred (14) donL seem
qulLe so unusual buL dewfallhawk (6)? @haLs noL a real klnd of hawk! uL Lhere ote hawks
LhaL come ouL aL dusk or dewfall uewfall also conLalns Lhe word fall ln lL whlch ls
approprlaLe alven Lhe downward sorrowful pull of Lhls poem
O Llne 10 @he cuLe llLLle hedaehoa of Lhls sLanza could be read as a sLandln for all of Lhe Lhlnas
LhaL Lhe poeL feels he hasnL been able Lo accompllsh ln hls llfe lLs an lnnocenL creaLure LhaL
he has Lrled Lo proLecL buL he could do llLLle for Lhem
O Llne 19 @hls ls probablv Lhe mosL hopeful llne ln Lhe poem wlLh Lhe words rlse aaaln and
new bell suaaesLlna Lhe posslblllLv of llfe afLer deaLh and renewal
asons
ach oI the stanzas takes place during a diIIerent season. %he poet can't seem to make up his
mind what as to what season he'll end up dying in, so he hedges his bets and imagines all the
possibilities. In the Iirst stanza, he imagines dying during spring; the third is summer; and the
Iourth is winter. Strangely, winter isn't the bad guy here in most poems about death, you'd
expect winter, or at least autumn, to play a big role in setting the mood, but that's not necessarily
the case here.
O Llne 2 @he poeL descrlbes Lhe monLh of Mav as Lhouah lL were a blrd flapplna lLs wlnas @hls
ls klnd of llke perso|f|cat|o onlv Lhe poeL ls alvlna Lhe monLh of Mav Lhe aLLrlbuLes of a blrd
raLher Lhan of a person Well call lL blrdlflcaLlon
O Llne 14 Pe personlfles wlnLer when he savs LhaL lL sees Lhe sLarrv skles
Passag of im
II each stanza takes place during a diIIerent season and the whole poem is a meditation on death,
you better believe that the passage oI time is an important category here. ven the title oI the
poem plays with the idea oI time: "AIterwards?" AIter.what? When? Check out the "What's Up
with the %itle?" section oI this module, and then come back Ior more examples oI symbols,
imagery, and wordplay having to do with the passage oI time.
O Llne 1 @he resenL momenL of Llme ls perso|f|ed ln Lhe verv flrsL llne Lhe resenL ls klnd
of llke Lhe arlm reaper lLs Lhe auv who shuLs Lhe door on Lhe speakers llfe
O Llne 1 osLern could also be read as a pu on Lhe word posLerlLv whlch means Lhe fuLure
aeneraLlons LhaL llve afLer vou
O Llne 13 @he bell of qulLLance or Lhe church bell LhaL aeLs runa when a person dles ls acLuallv
Lhe same bell LhaL aeLs runa ln Lhe church Lower everv hour anvwav so Lhe rlnalna of Lhe bell
of qulLLance whlch marks Lhe passlna of a persons llfe could [usL sound llke Lhe bell marklna
Lhe passaae of anoLher hour
#yme. Form & Meter
We'll show vou Lhe poem's blueprlnLs and we'll llsLen for Lhe muslc behlnd Lhe words
uatrains in Rym
%he poem is divided into Iive 4-line stanzas, called quatrains. ach quatrain has an ABAB
rhyme pattern (look at the Iirst quatrain: "stay" rhymes with "say," and "wings" rhymes with
"things").

%he meter is a little bit tougher: there isn't a rigidly set number oI syllables per line, like you'd
Iind in a sonnet. Notice how long all the lines are in some editions oI the poem, there isn't even
enough space to Iit all the words in each line, so they spill over into the next (iI you thought your
edition was numbering the lines wrong, that's what's going on). It's as though the speaker wants
to stretch out each line as long as possible and Ior a poem about the passage oI time and the
inevitability oI death, we can't really blame him Ior wanting to drag his Ieet a little.

%he lines that are in quotation marks the last line or two oI each stanza are hardly in verse at
all. Because the poet is imagining what his neighbors would say, those lines almost read like
prose, or regular, conversational dialogue.
Speaker Point of View
o is t spakr, can s or rad minds, and, mor importantly, can w
trust r or im?
%he speaker oI "AIterwards" is an older man someone who Ieels that his own death is near at
hand. Makes sense aIter all, Hardy wrote it when he was 77 years old. Hardy has a reputation
Ior being dark and melancholy, but even though this is a poem about death, it's surprisingly un-
depressing. %he tone oI the poem is more wistIul than bitter: the speaker wants to be
remembered, but is aIraid that he'll be Iorgotten entirely. More speciIically, he wants to be
remembered as someone sensitive to the subtle beauties in nature.



Setting
r It All Cos Down
%he setting oI the poem is diIIicult to pin down because it changes with every stanza, depending
on where and when the speaker is imagining his death. All oI the possible settings suggest the
countryside sometimes in May, sometimes in winter, sometimes at night, sometimes at dusk,
but always surrounded by the beauties oI nature. %he last stanza has a church ringing the "bell oI
quittance," and the neighbors appear in every stanza, so we're guessing that the poem-world is in
a quiet, nglish country village not unlike the village oI StinsIord, where Hardy spent most oI
his adult liIe.
Sound Ceck
Rad tis pom aloud. at do you ar?
%ry reading the poem out loud. It's iust a series oI Iive questions, so how hard can it be? %he
answer: pretty hard. %he lines are so long that it's easy to lose track oI where you are, and each
stanza is its own sentence, so the whacky sentence structure isn't much oI a help, either. But don't
worry part oI the Iun oI this poem is getting lost in the evocative images oI each stanza. It's so
easy to get caught up in the imagery that the move Irom the poetic descriptions oI nature in the
Iirst three lines oI each stanza to the quotation oI what the neighbors will say can Ieel almost
iarring. Compare the sound oI "He was a man who used to notice such things" (4) to:

|.| like an evelids soundless blink.
The dewfall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight
Upon the wind-warped upland thorn |.| (5-7)

It's almost as though you check out oI the poetry-world Ior the last line oI each stanza; the
neighbors don't seem to live in the same plane as the speaker. But iI you're not all that
comIortable with reading the poem out loud, the breaks in the meter and poetic language that
come with the neighbors' dialogue can Ieel like a welcome break.

%he poem is Iull oI alliteration and assonance (the repetition oI vowel sounds) that make you
slow down as you read it out loud. Some oI the lines are a real mouthIul look at line 2,
especially: "And the May month Ilaps its glad green leaves like wings." It's like a tongue-twister.
But the Iinal line oI each stanza, when the speaker imagines what the neighbors will say, is much
more like prose. %he parts in quotation marks don't sound like poetry at all! %hese more
conversational lines come almost as a relieI aIter the tongue-twisting lines that trip you up and
slow you down earlier in each stanza.

Wat`s Up Wit te Title?
"AIterwards" seems like a Iairly easy title it is, aIter all, only one word. But like most oI
Hardy's poetry, there's more to this deceptively simple title than meets the eye. %he word
"aIterwards" is an adverb it describes when something happens. So the title suggests the
continual Iorward movement oI time, since the poem takes place in the Iuture, aIter some event
that hasn't happened yet at the time it is being written.

But "aIter" what? What event does the poem reIer to in the title? %o the death oI the speaker: the
entire poem is a meditation on what will happen "aIterwards" aIter he dies. %here's also a
possible pun in the title the poet wants to know how he'll be remembered as a writer. Will
people remember his words? What will happen "aIter words"? %here's a lot oI weird ambiguity
having to do with the passage oI time all wrapped up in that deceptively simple title.
Tomas Hardy`s Calling Card
WhaL ls Lhe poeL's slanaLure sLvle?
Dprssing dscriptions of birds
II you're reading a poem with a lot oI bird imagery that could be interpreted as a symbol Ior
death, you've probably got your hands on a Hardy poem. One oI his other well-known poems,
"%he Darkling %hrush," describes a bird that sings hopeIully despite its gloomy surroundings.
Hardy's poetry is oIten described brieIly as dark, depressing, or morbidly obsessed with Iailure
and disappointment. But we all like a little angst in our reading material to pull on the old
heartstrings, don't we?
Toug-O-Meter
We've aoL vour back WlLh Lhe @ouahCMeLer vou'll know wheLher Lo brlna exLra lavers or Swlss armv
knlves as vou summlL Lhe llLerarv mounLaln (10 @ouahesL)
) Bas Camp
%here's a lot going on in this poem as Iar as poetic diction and Iigurative language, but once you
get past the tough vocabulary words like "postern," it's a pretty accessible poem. You don't need
to be a critical genius to get a lot out oI it iust a careIul and attentive reader.
Trivia
Brain nacks: asty idbits of Knowldg
%homas Hardy wanted to be buried next to his wiIe in the churchyard oI their hometown, but his
executor had other ideas: he wanted to bury the Iamous writer in the "Poets' Corner" oI
Westminster Cathedral, in London. Hardy's Iamily and the executor came to a compromise:
Hardy's body was buried at Westminster, but his heart was buried next to his wiIe, mma, in
StinsIord. %here's a crazy rumor that the housekeeper who was in charge oI getting Hardy's heart
to StinsIord leIt it sitting on the kitchen table, and a cat ate it. %he housekeeper, stricken with
guilt, replaced Hardy's heart with a pig's heart Irom the butcher. %his is probably iust an urban
legend, but we'll never know Ior sure!
Hardy taught himselI to read.
AIter critics reacted with shock and horror to the "immorality" oI Hardy's last Iew novels
(especially Tess of the DUrbervilles and Jude the Obscure), Hardy gave up writing Iiction
altogether and switched entirely to poetry. He liked poetry better, anyway.
Steaminess #ating
actly ow stamy is tis pom?
%here's no sex in this poem. AIter all, it's about dying, and as a rule, it's best not to mix the two.
It's not that Hardy had nothing to say about sex (iust Ilip over to Tess of the DUrbervilles iI you
don't believe us), but he generally leIt it out oI his poetry.
Allusions & Cultural #eferences
When poeLs refer Lo oLher areaL works people and evenLs lL's usuallv noL accldenLal uL on vour
supersleuLh haL and flaure ouL whv
Litratur, Pilosopy, and Mytology
O rlse aaaln (llne 19) @hls could be a reference Lo Lhe ChrlsLlan bellef ln phvslcal resurrecLlon on
!udamenL uav
Historical Rfrncs
O posLern (llne 1) @hls word ls so sLarLllnalv oldfashloned ln Lhls modernlsL poem LhaL were
aolna Lo classlfv lL as a hlsLorlcal reference posLern ls Lhe back door ouL of a casLle buL lL
sure wasnL ln common usaae aL Lhe Llme Pardv was wrlLlna
@hemes
@heme of Morta||ty
In this poem, the speaker reIlects on how he will be remembered aIter he is dead. Oddly, the poet
never once uses the word "death" or "die" go to "Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay" Ior some oI the
euphemisms and metaphors he uses to avoid saying the D-word. %homas Hardy was getting old
when he wrote this he was 77 years old and he was worried about how he was going to be
remembered. Yes, this is heavy stuII. But never Iear: there are other, less depressing, themes to
look at iI this one gets you too down in the dumps.
Mortality uots

When the Present has latched its postern behind mv tremulous stav, (1)
%his has got to be the most roundabout way oI saying "When I die" that we've ever heard.
"%remulous stay" (i.e., the poet's "stay" on earth, or his liIe) suggests that all liIe is Iragile,
trembling, or "tremulous." %he idea oI Iragile, delicate liIe connects with the "delicate-Iilmed"
leaves that are described in line 3.
1 it be in the dusk [.j (5)
%his is a more usual setting Ior describing someone's death the Iirst stanza, with all its spring
imagery, hasn't really set the Iunereal mood we were expecting. "Dusk" seems less
unexpected.oI course, Hardy upsets the apple cart again with the unusual imagery that Iollows,
but let's take what we can get.
1 pass during some nocturnal blackness [.j (9)
Again, it's a common, almost cliched way oI describing death we always hear about people
"passing away" or "passing on." But here, there's no preposition Iollowing the word "pass." He
iust "passes" he doesn't "pass away." It sounds like he has iust passed someone in a hallway or
something. It's as though he's imagining his own spirit "passing" the living aIter he has died.
Oooh, creepy.
[.j when hearing that have been stilled at last [.j (13)
Here's yet another euphemism Ior death! But instead oI the motion implied by "pass" (9), the
poet (and his ghostly spirit) has been "stilled."
[.j those who will meet mv 1ace no more (15)
%his is another way oI describing death, but this time, he's doing it through the people who are
leIt behind the Iolks who will "meet |his| Iace no more."
[.j when mv bell o1 quittance is heard in the gloom (17)
%he "bell oI quittance" is the bell rung in a church tower that marks the death oI a person in the
neighborhood. Naturally, the bell would be ringing "in the gloom." Again, it's an almost cliched
way oI describing death, but like the "dusk" and "nocturnal blackness" above, it's saved Irom
being cliche by the unusual images that come aIter.

@heme of Ma ad the Natura| Wor|d
II you're all depressed Irom the death stuII in "AIterwards," don't worry; there are plenty oI
natural images that suggest liIe and renewal, to counteract all the doom and gloom. Hardy liked
balance in his writing. ven when everything seems about as depressing as it can get, there's
bound to be a ray oI sunshine, somewhere. In "AIterwards," that ray oI hope comes in the Iorm
oI the speaker's relationship to the natural world. %he series oI unexpected, unusual natural
images creates a web oI interrelated ideas: the images oI one stanza loosely connect with the
images oI other stanzas.
Man and t atural orld uots

nd the Mav month 1laps its glad green leaves like wings,
Delicate-1ilmed as new-spun silk [.j (2)
%he month oI May is described as a bird or winged insect that "Ilaps" its "leaves like wings." %he
leaI/wings are "delicate-Iilmed," like a baby bird's or a butterIly's. %his image connects to the
word "tremulous" the poet uses to describe his own Iragile, uncertain liIe in line 1. "New-spun
silk" could also suggest butterIlies coming out oI silken cocoons, so there's a hinted allusion to
metamorphosis or transIormation in this line.
II it be in the dusk when, like an eyelid's soundless blink,
%he dewIall-hawk comes crossing the shades to alight
Upon the wind-warped upland thorn, |.| (5-7)
%he "dewIall-hawk" is a hawk that comes out at "dewIall," or dusk. It glides silently ("like an
eyelid's soundless blink") across the shadows to land on a thorny shrub. Notice all the compound
words here, like "dewIall-hawk," and "wind-warped."
[.jmothv and warm (9)
%he darkness is described as "mothy and warm" in this stanza "warm" we understand. It's a
warm summer night. But describing the darkness (or "nocturnal blackness") as "mothy" seems a
bit more unexpected. Hardy sure was Iond oI those unexpected images. So what does "mothy"
do? Well, it brings to mind those warm summer nights when the moths Ilutter around the lights.
%he word could also connect back to the butterIly imagery oI the Iirst stanza ("delicate-Iilmed as
new-spun silk").
When the hedgehog travels 1urtivelv over the lawn (1)
Here's another unexpected, unusual nature image. %he "hedgehog" is moving "Iurtively," or
cautiously, across the grass. It's nighttime why is it being so cautious? It could connect back to
the "dewIall-hawk" oI the previous stanza.
Watching the 1ull-starred heavens that winter sees (14)
Wait a minute "winter" can't "see" anything it's a season, not a person. It's being personiIied
(go to the "Symbols, Imagery, Wordplay" section Ior more on that). %he neighbors who are
"watching" the stars are being subtly, or implicitly, compared to "winter," which also "sees" the
stars. So maybe people and nature aren't as separate as they might seem?
e was one who had an eve 1or such mvsteries (1)
%he speaker oI the poem is also connected to the neighbors and to the "winter" through the same
idea oI watching the stars. He's a person who "had an eye" Ior "mysteries" like stargazing.
@heme of Memory ad the ast
%his poem is a meditation on death, but it's not iust about the act oI dying it's about how the
speaker imagines that he will be remembered after his death. Will he be remembered as a poet?
Or as a novelist? Or as a nature lover? Or will he be Iorgotten immediately and leIt to rot in his
house until the neighbors came by to check on the smell? %he relationship oI the present to the
past (and to the Iuture) has a lot to do with memory.
Mmory and t Past uots
How we cite te quotes:

When the Present has latched its postern behind mv tremulous stav (1)
%his is kind oI a weird, unexpected way to open a poem: the "Present" moment (which hasn't
actually happened yet at the time the poem was written) shuts the back door ("postern") oI liIe on
the speaker. It's as though the "Present" moment oI time has it in Ior the speaker: we can iust
imagine the "Present" kicking the speaker out, yelling, "don't let the "postern" door hit you on the
way out!" Maybe the past was kinder to the speaker?
[.j will the neighbours sav, (3)
%he speaker introduces one oI the main ideas oI the poem the question oI what his neighbors
will say about him aIter he's dead.
e was a man who used to notice such things (4)
%he speaker uses the present and the Iuture tense throughout the Iirst part oI each stanza, and
then switches to the past tense when quoting what he imagines the neighbors will say: "He was a
man who used to notice such things." %he "such things" seems odd, too, especially aIter this
absolutely amazing scene Irom nature in which the month oI May turns into a bird or a butterIly
"Ilapping" its wings. %he neighbors iust sum all that up by calling it "such things"? Do they iust
not get it?
1 pass during some nocturnal blackness (9)
%he word "pass" here could be a pun on the word "past" and when someone "passes" (i.e.,
dies), he switches Irom the present to the past, so the pun could make sense.
Will this thought rise on those who will meet mv 1ace no more (15)
%he "thought" that "rises" is a memory oI the speaker, but it's almost an unconscious memory
the neighbors "who will meet |his| Iace no more" aren't expecting to recall the speaker, but the
beauty oI the stars makes the "thought rise" in their minds without them being aware oI it.
e hears it not now, but used to notice such things (2)
%his sentence strongly iuxtaposes the present and the past: it starts with the present tense, and
then shuts the speaker out oI the present and puts him in the past as Iirmly as the "Present"
slammed that "postern" door on him in the Iirst line: the speaker "hears it not now, but used to
notice such things."
@heme of @|me
Unsurprisingly, given the importance oI "Memory and the Past" to "AIterwards," Hardy also has
a lot to say about the passage oI time, aging, and the way our consciousness changes through
time. He plays around a lot with verb tenses so that it's hard to tell when the poem takes place.
ven the title reIers to a particular moment in time: go check out the "What's Up with the %itle?"
section Ior more on that.
im uots
[.j mv tremulous stav (1)
%he "tremulous," or tremblingly Iragile "stay" on earth is, like many oI the images in the poem,
unexpected. Why can't he iust call it his "liIe," since that's what he means? Calling his liIe his
"tremulous stay" calls attention to the uncertainty oI liIe (it is "tremulous") and to the passage oI
time; it's a "stay," or a visit, oI a certain period.
[.j like an evelid's soundless blink (5)
%his simile describes the silent Ilight oI the "dewIall-hawk," but the "blink" oI the "eyelid" also
sounds like the way we describe something that happens quickly something that goes by "in
the blink oI an eye." %his could be a way Ior the speaker to imply that liIe is brieI, and goes by
"like an eyelid's soundless blink."
1, when hearing that have been stilled at last, thev stand at the door (13)
%he word "stilled" as a euphemism Ior death implies that the speaker's Iorward progress has been
Irozen. But even the news that the speaker has "been stilled" is enough to Ireeze the neighbors,
too. %hey "stand at the door," as iI uncertain whether to go in or out.
nd will anv sav when mv bell o1 quittance is heard in the gloom, (17)
Here, the speaker does away with any "iI" statement he knows that his "bell oI quittance" will
someday be heard. So he doesn't bother with "II my bell oI quittance is heard." Death is
unavoidable, so the bell marking his death is, too.
nd a crossing breeze cuts a pause in its out-rollings, (18)
Death, and the accompanying Iuneral bells, might be unavoidable, but somehow nature is able to
interrupt it. %he "crossing breeze" is able to "cut a pause," or interrupt the sound oI the bell. It's
as though the breeze were able to disrupt the Ilow oI time itselI.
1ill thev rise again, as thev were a new bell's boom (19)
OI course, the "breeze" can't stop the Ilow oI time Iorever the sound oI the bells picks up again
when the breeze dies down. But the words "rise again" suggest the possibility oI liIe aIter death
by alluding to the Christian idea oI physical resurrection on Judgment Day, and the alliteration oI
the "new bell's boom" draws our attention to the "newness" oI the bells, which suggest the
possibility oI renewal. At least the poem doesn't end on a totally depressing note.
5tudy Cuest|os
Bring on the tough stuII - there`s not iust one right answer.
1. Why are there so many made-up compound words, like "Delicate-Iilmed" (3) and
"dewIall-hawk (6) and "wind-warped" (7)?
2. How might this poem have been inIluenced by the greater context oI World War I?
3. %his poem relies on a lot oI natural images, like the "hedgehog" (10) and the "glad green
leaves" (2), so we usually call it a nature poem. Is it possible to read parts oI it as
supernatural?
4. Is the tone oI the imagined dialogue oI the speaker's neighbors diIIerent Irom the tone oI
the rest oI the poem? How so? Why do you think that is?
5. How does the speaker wish to be remembered? How would you want to be remembered,
iI you were writing your own "AIterwards"?
ustions About Mortality
1 Whv does Lhe speaker use hvpoLheLlcal sLaLemenLs (bealnnlna wlLh lf) Lo descrlbe hls deaLh?
lsnL deaLh lnevlLable?
2 Whv does Lhe speaker never use Lhe word deaLh? Whv does he resorL Lo euphemlsms and
meLaphor Lo descrlbe lL?
3 Pow manv dlfferenL wavs of descrlblna deaLh does Lhe speaker come up wlLh?
4 Pow do Lhe dlfferenL sense percepLlons LhaL are evoked ln Lhe poem (Lhe beauLv of Lhe alad
areen leaves Lhe warm summer nlahL and Lhe sound of Lhe bell of qulLLance) lmpacL Lhe
ldea of lmpendlna deaLh?
Cw on is
@rv on an oplnlon or Lwo sLarL a debaLe or plav Lhe devll's advocaLe
%he speaker oI "AIterwards" uses euphemisms Ior "death" that suggest Iorward
progression, rather than Iinality.

By starting the poem with the month oI May, the poet suggests that the theme oI death
might be relieved by a springtime renewal.
ustions About Man and t atural orld
1 Pardv uses a loL of compound words llke uellcaLefllmed (3) dewfallhawk (6) and wlnd
warped (7) Lo descrlbe naLural lmaaes Whv does he resorL Lo Lhese laraelv madeup words Lo
descrlbe naLure?
2 SLanza 1 Lakes place ln Mav (2) SLanza 4 Lakes place ln wlnLer (14) and Lhe warm nlahL of
SLanza 3 suaaesLs summer Wheres auLumn and how can vou Lell?
3 Whv does Lhe speaker hope Lo be remembered as someone who ls senslLlve Lo naLure raLher
Lhan as a wrlLer?
4 re Lhe nelahbors able Lo appreclaLe naLure ln Lhe same wav LhaL Lhe speaker does? Whv or
whv noL and how can vou Lell?
Cw on is
@rv on an oplnlon or Lwo sLarL a debaLe or plav Lhe devll's advocaLe
%he speaker oI "AIterwards" uses unexpected, unusual metaphors to describe natural
images, Irequently using invented words, in order to highlight his unusual sensitivity to
such things.
ustions About Mmory and t Past
1 Whv ls Lhe poem all abouL Lhe speakers nelahbors who wlll remember hlm and noL abouL hls
own memorles of hls llfe?
2 Whv are Lhe nelahbors remlnlscences abouL Lhe speaker seL off ln quoLaLlon marks as Lhouah
Lhev represenL dlrecLlv reporLed speech? lsnL Lhe speaker [usL lmaalnlna whaL Lhevd sav
anvwav?
3 Whv does Lhe poeL break from Lhe poeLlc meLer and lanauaae of Lhe flrsL Lhree llnes of each
sLanza wrlLlna Lhe nelahbors remarks ln a more prosalc sLvle?
4 @he resenL ls personlfled ln Lhe flrsL llne Slnce Lhe whole poem ls abouL how Lhe speaker wlll
be remembered whv lsnL Lhe pasL personlfled as well?
Cw on is
@rv on an oplnlon or Lwo sLarL a debaLe or plav Lhe devll's advocaLe
%he neighbors' reported speech in "AIterwards" is written in prose to emphasize the
diIIerence between their language and the poet's between their observation oI nature
and the poet's heightened sensitivity to it.

%he poet hopes to be remembered as a nature lover, rather than as a great poet, because
the two are concomitant: poetry can only be written by those who are sensitive observers
oI nature.
ustions About im
1 Cver Lhe course of Lhe poem how much Llme passes ln Lhe lmaalnaLlon of Lhe speaker?
2 Pow ls Lhe passaae of Llme marked ln Lhls poem?
3 ecause Lhe poem Lakes place ln Lhe presenL as Lhe poeL lmaalnes whaL wlll happen ln Lhe
fuLure whlle hls nelahbors recall Lhe pasL Lhe speaker has hls hands full manaalna verb Lenses
Pow does he do lL? ls lL aL all confuslna? L whlch polnLs?
Cw on is
@rv on an oplnlon or Lwo sLarL a debaLe or plav Lhe devll's advocaLe
%he ringing oI the "bell oI quittance" marks the passage oI time, but the wind that
interrupts the sound oI the bell suggests that the passage oI time can somehow be
disrupted, iI only momentarily.

%he neighbors standing on the threshold oI the door (13) parallels the poet's sense that he,
too, is on a threshold, about to depart through the "postern" (1) oI liIe.