Farewell to Barn and Stack and Tree.

The poem " Farewell of Barn and Stack and Tree" is written by A.E. Houseman. It is written in the first person point of view and the structure of the poem is organized in a quatrain form. The narrator weaves the context of the poem in the direct speech and has the rhyme scheme ABAB. The poem is written in a remorseful tone and it has a dramatic ballad.

" farewell to barn and stack and tree,

Farewell to seven shore.

Terence ,look your last at me,

For I come home no more"

The poem starts with a wishing of farewell by the poet to barn and stack and tree, a set if non-living things that combined with nature. It seems that he is ready to go somewhere departing from his familiar places and objects. He also wish farewell to the shore of river ' Severn' . It gives the intention that the poet is very familiar with the environment. Then he addresses Terence ,may be the friend of him. He requests him to ' look your last' in sympathetic tone and gives the reason 'for I come here no more'. There should be a deep reason for a person to abandon his familiar environment and dearly friend. Next stanza of the poem reveals thus secret more.

"The sun burn on the half mown hill,

By now the blood is dried,

And Mourice amongst the hay lies still

And m knife is in his side"

The 'sun burn ' implies the time is mid day. The hill is ' half own' , conveys that the poet is finished his work halfway. 'Dried blood ' gives the clues of a crime or a tragedy, happened before a considerable time because now they are ' dried'. Sometimes the burning son could be the cause to dry the blood quickly. then poet describes an odd incident of a person named 'Mourice ' lies on the hay near a knife. According to the expression ' my knife' , the knife and its owner is suspected by the reader for the tragedy happened to ' Mourice'.

My mother thinks us long away,

'Tis time the field were mown.

She had two sons at raising day,

To night she'll be lone.

Third stanza conveys the facts about poets mother. According to he poet, she thinks that the poet and her two sons are engaging in mowing the hill. But the certifies that it was long time before he mowed, not at this moment. Mother had two sons at the beginning of the day whom lighted her life and cared as suns , but in the night she will have none of them. 3rd stanza implies that the poet and ' Mourice' as brothers. The poet has killed his brother ' Mourice' due to an unexplained reason. But through the remorseful tone of the poet we can clarify that , this crime is not a planned one but based on a sudden impulse and the culprit is regretting for what he has done.

"And here's a bloody had to shake,

And oh, man, here's good bye;

We'll sweat no more on scythe and rake

My bloody hands and I"

Usually people shake hands in farewell, but here he mentions his hands are bloody , due to the murder he has done. He addresses someone ' man' may be his friend Terence. He regretfully reminds the way he used to work in the fields with companions scythe and rake. He deeply regret about the crime he committed weather the reason is not clear which tempted him to kill his brother.

I wish you strength to bring you pride,

And a love to keep you clean,

And I wish you luck, come Liammastide,

At racing on the green.

The murder committed poet wishes his friend to be strengthened and be proud. He didn't get a strength to endure his pains or anger and be proud but he bids his friend t do so. Also he wished ' a love to keep you clean' . The phrase implies that 'love' is the reason that made poet guilty, and unclean with bloody hands. Poet wishes good luck to Terrance participate the Liammastide holiday with the harvest of wheat. ' Racing on the green' implies that his wishes for Terence to spend a happy and better life. Both of them were companions of each other but now the culprit regrets about the sin he committed.

"Long for me the rick and wit,

And long will wait the fold,

And long will stand thee empty plate,

And dinner will be cold."

The poet is aware of the murder he is committed and its dangerous nature. He knows that only the loneliness and coldness of life will be his profit. He regrets about the whole life and what would happen in his house after his murder and his brother's death. " empty plate' implies the loneliness and departing from home he has to experience in the near future and the sudden disappearance of hopes of life.