When the Astronomer Stops Seeking

When the Astronomer Stops Seeking - meaning Summary

Limits of Inquiry

The poem sketches brief portraits of three figures who cease their quests—the astronomer, the solitary British traveler, and the sailor whose compass fails him—and suggests that only after such stopping is it appropriate to ask what "treason" means. It argues that doubt or abandonment reveals moral and existential shifts: questions of betrayal, allegiance, and purpose become legible only when pursuit or belief has been suspended.