Twas the Old Road Through Pain
poem 344
Twas the Old Road Through Pain - meaning Summary
Passing Into Private Rest
The poem narrates a quiet, observational account of a woman’s final journey from prolonged suffering to death. The speaker follows the “old road through pain,” notes the abandoned personal items and fading footsteps, and records how others prepare a short bed and a private chamber. Small, domestic details—a book, a hat, a worn shoe—mark the passage from life to a removed, almost secretive rest, emphasizing loss and communal ritual.
Read Complete Analyses‘Twas the old road through pain That unfrequented one With many a turn and thorn That stops at Heaven This was the Town she passed There where she rested last Then stepped more fast The little tracks close prest Then not so swift Slow slow as feet did weary grow Then stopped no other track! Wait! Look! Her little Book The leaf at love turned back Her very Hat And this worn shoe just fits the track Herself though fled! Another bed a short one Women make tonight In Chambers bright Too out of sight though For our hoarse Good Night To touch her Head!
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