After Passing by

After Passing by - meaning Summary

Distant, Watchful Attention

The poem presents a sparse scene of communal attention and mute longing. Children, blind girls, and mountains all fixate on an unseen distant point as lamps go out and spirals of weeping rise. That repeated focus and the extinguishing of light suggest absence, loss, or an unanswerable question. The mood is eerie and elegiac, emphasizing collective silence, unresolved grief, and the persistence of watching across generations and nature.