Poetry · Chapter
The Sun-Dial at Wells College explained
A meditation on time and the present moment, using the image of a sun-dial's shadow to divide the future from the past.
What happens
A meditation on time and the present moment, using the image of a sun-dial's shadow to divide the future from the past. The poem emphasizes that only the present hour is within one's power.
Themes in this chapter
The Pilgrimage of Life
The poem reflects on the passage of time and the importance of the present moment in life's journey.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker reflects on the nature of time and the present moment.
Key passages
“The shadow by my finger cast Divides the future from the past: Before it, sleeps the unborn hour, In darkness, and beyond thy power: Behind its unreturning line, The vanished hour, no longer thine: One hour alone is in thy hands— The now on which the shadow stands.”
The shadow cast by the sun-dial's finger separates the future from the past. The future is unknown and beyond control; the past is gone and cannot be reclaimed. Only the present moment is yours to act upon.
The poem uses the sun-dial as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of time and the power of the present.