The Hollows Round His Eager Eyes

The Hollows Round His Eager Eyes - meaning Summary

Pain Written on the Face

The short poem observes a silent sufferer whose hollowed eyes and marked face act as a readable biography of ongoing, unobtrusive pain. The speaker frames the visage as legible to passersby, who note but do not intervene, emphasizing the contrast between visible distress and the subject’s lack of complaint. The image condenses sympathy, social indifference, and the idea that inward suffering can become an outward, interpretive record.