Poetry · Chapter
Chapter XXVII explained
The speaker reflects on the nature of time, describing the past as infinitely distant and the future as perpetually out of reach.
What happens
The speaker reflects on the nature of time, describing the past as infinitely distant and the future as perpetually out of reach. Time is personified as an unyielding tyrant that governs all fates equally, cannot be bargained with or deceived, and ultimately carries the speaker's heart to the grave, leaving only fear as certain.
Themes in this chapter
Time and Mortality
The entire chapter is a meditation on time as a relentless force that distances the past, shapes the future, and inevitably brings death.
Fate and Free Will
Time is described as an 'equable tyrant' that cannot be bought off or tricked, emphasizing the inescapable nature of fate.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker meditates on time and mortality, expressing personal fear of death.
- Time and Mortality
Time is personified as an 'equable tyrant' that governs all fates and leads to the grave.
Key passages
“How yesterday is long ago! The past Is a fixed infinite distance from to-day”
Yesterday feels incredibly distant; the past is an unbridgeable gap from the present.
The speaker emphasizes the irrecoverable separation of past and present.
“This thing Time is, whose being is having none, The equable tyrant of our different fates”
Time is a thing that exists without having a tangible being, an impartial ruler over all our varied destinies.
Time is personified as a tyrant that treats all fates equally.
“This thing Time is, that to the grave will bear My heart, sure but of it and of my fear.”
Time is what will carry my heart to the grave; the only certainties are time itself and my fear.
The speaker concludes with a stark acknowledgment of mortality and fear.