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   gbeatty Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

    Let's start by putting the line in context, shall we? The line reads as follows: In the small coffin of his house, the pensioner,
   A veteran of the African campaign,
   Bends, as if threading an eternal needle;
   One-eyed as any grave, his skull, cropped wool, Notice the other words there: "eternal," "grave," and "skull." Taken together with the line about the coffin, this poem is saying (and not that subtly) that this man is already dead, and that he leads a life of death. This is literally true in some ways--he fought in wars—but it is also a metaphor for the man's place and status in life.

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   Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday August 20, 2008 at 6:31 PM