Afterwards by Thomas Hardy: Subject of His Death

‘Afterwards’ was written by Thomas Hardy in at the age of 77 –an age where his thoughts wandered to the subject of his death. In this poem, Hardy expresses his growing anticipation as he explores and foresees the potential means of his demise, such as when it will happen and how, and he wonders if people will remember him when he is gone, how they will remember him and what they will say. It takes us on a journey as Hardy delves into the possibilities of when his death could draw near and changes the setting throughout the poem. ‘Afterwards’ is made up of five stanzas, each one being a quatrain; it also consists of a strict, regular and rather jaunty ABAB rhyme scheme, making the poem lyrical. Hardy writes in first person which is almost autobiographical, yet at the same time it seems as if he is writing his own elegy.
The poem opens with, Hardy metaphorically referring to death as “the Present”; although he cannot predict when he will die, he professes that whenever it is, the time for him will be the present, not past or future. He also personifies the “Present”, giving it the ability to lock the door on life as he declares that it will have "latched its postern behind my tremulous stay”; or irreversibly closes the back door behind him, metaphorically closing the door on his life. Hardy goes on to further speculate whether he will die in the spring when “the May month flaps its glad green leaves like wings.” Hardy personifies the month of May to explore the spring time; this allows him to be more creative and imaginative in his descriptions of nature. He also uses alliteration here, in him using this poetic device it gives nature a gentle quality as he alliterates soft sounds. The poet then goes on to describe these leaves as “delicate-filmed as new-spun silk” -again referring back to this delicate and gentleness of nature. Hardy then ends this stanza with wondering what people may say when he is gone; in this case he uses a neighbour however, he uses this