Summary of Thomas Hardy After the Visit Poem

Come again to the place
Where your presence was as a leaf that skims
Down a drouthy way whose ascent bedims
The bloom on the farer’s face.
Come again, with the feet
That were light on the green as a thistledown ball,
And those mute ministrations to one and to all
Beyond a man’s saying sweet.
Until then the faint scent
Of the bordering flowers swam unheeded away,

The lines beautifully describe a longing for someone’s return to a familiar place. The speaker invites the person to come back to a location where their presence was like a fleeting leaf that gracefully glides down a dry path, casting a shadow over the faces of those who pass by. The speaker yearns for the return of the person’s light footsteps, which were as delicate as a thistledown ball on the green grass. They also mention the person’s gentle and wordless acts of kindness, which brought sweetness beyond what words could express.

The speaker reminisces about the time when the person was present, and the faint scent of the nearby flowers was a subtle delight that went unnoticed. It evokes a sense of nostalgia and a desire for the person’s return, as their presence brought a special kind of beauty and warmth to the place. It’s a heartfelt invitation to reunite and relive those cherished moments once again.

And I marked not the charm in the changes of day
As the cloud-colours came and went.
Through the dark corridors
Your walk was so soundless I did not know
Your form from a phantom’s of long ago
Said to pass on the ancient floors,
Till you drew from the shad
And I saw the large luminous living eyes
Regard me in fixed inquiring-wise
As those of a soul that weighed,
Scarce consciously,
The eternal question of what Life was,
And why we were there, and by whose strange laws
That which mattered most could not be.

These lines emphasize a sense of missed opportunities and a lack of awareness. The speaker reflects on not fully appreciating the beauty and changes of the day, as they failed to notice the charm in the shifting colors of the clouds. They describe a situation where the person’s presence was so quiet and subtle that they mistook it for a phantom or a figure from the distant past, passing through the dark corridors.

It is only when the person emerged from the shadows that the speaker saw their large, luminous, and inquisitive eyes. These eyes seemed to hold a deep understanding and contemplation of life’s existential questions. The speaker suggests that the person’s gaze carried the weight of pondering the meaning of life, why they were there, and the mysterious laws that seemed to prevent what truly mattered from being realized.

Overall, the lines highlight a missed connection and a realization of the significance that was overlooked in the presence of the person. It conveys a sense of regret and a desire to delve deeper into the profound questions that life presents.