At the Word, "Farewell'

Structure

- the stanzas become longer through the poem showing farewell as long and drawn out

- cross ryhme shows the regular passing of time

'she looked like a bird from a cloud'

- simile

- 'cloud...clammy...dim...' suggests some sort of beginning

'dim of dawn'

- muted = quite low key

'candles alight in the room'

- contrast with the 1st stanza 'dim'

'strange, ghostly, unreal'

- haunting 'ghostly'

- list of 3 emphasises that there is a dream like quality 

- atmosphere ghostly and sinister

'as of chances the chance furthermost'

- he doesn't think he will ever see her again

- 'chances...chance' random occurance 

'Plan'

- personifcation = God's plan

- wasn't actually random chance = they were meant to be

'No prelude did I there perceive to a drama at all..'

- he didn't see this as a beginning = took him by surprise

'or foreshadow what fortune might weave'

- alliteration foreshadowing and emphasising positive outcome

- 'weave' metaphor describing life as a tapestry = there is a plan

- The Three Fates 

'Even then the scale might have been turned against love by a feather'

- metaphor suggesting love is vulnerable affected by weight of a feather

- love is subject to so many influences

- links to imagery of bird in 1st stanza

'--'

- private and intimate