When poets refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literature, Philosophy, and Mythology
- "rise again" (line 19): This could be a reference to the Christian belief in physical resurrection on Judgment Day.
Historical References
- "postern" (line 1): This word is so startlingly old-fashioned in this modernist poem that we're going to classify it as a historical reference. A "postern" is the back door out of a castle, but it sure wasn't in common usage at the time Hardy was writing.