Meaning of the poem

Meaning of the poem
In the poem, the speaker or the poet prepares the reader to achieve eternal peace as well as contentment in life. The poet encourages the reader that, for one to experience such harmony and contentment; he has to go through all the obstacles and wilderness that exist in the ideal world. The speaker argues that when one undergo such challenges and difficulties as well as tuff times in life he cries out to God asking, “Where are you, God.” He also cries to the Lord when he feels alienated. The poet needs an assurance from the Lord that he is with us because he is God, who will not forsake us.
The poem employs the use of several stylistic devices to achieve the ultimate goal. The relevant aspects of this poem include; rhyming scheme, meter, word choice, imagery and metaphors among other devices. Some of the relevant aspects of this poem have been discussed citing relevant examples as well as supporting arguments as follows.
Analysis of the poem
The first aspect of the poem is the Imagery. The poet uses the word chariot figuratively to mean something else other than the literary chariot. When the poet says, he came out from the chariot. We can interpret this statement as when the writer came to the world. The image used because the literal language would be graphic. Therefore, the poet uses the imagery to communicate effectively without using graphic language. A chariot is an image that the writer adopts to impart the dash as well as tenderness to his literary work.

The use of imagery in this poem expands the sensory perception of the reader beyond the literal meaning. The imagery gives pleasure to the imagination as well as intensifies the hidden intention of the poem.
The use of imagery also features when the writer talks about leaving his track on many a star and planet. The word star and planet as used by the writer serves as an image. The poet does not use them to literary mean that he was leaving his track on a star like Venus. The image can be interpreted to refer to the poet leaving a legacy or history to the next generation. The use of imagery also features the fourth stanza of the poem. The “innermost shrine” used in the poem is used to represent something else and not the literary shrine. The poet is keen on his word selection that enables the reader to have a very deep understanding of the subject of the poem.
The second aspect of the poem is the rhyming scheme that the writer has employed to enhance the musicality of the poem. The poem uses alliteration. In the first stanza of the poem, the T consonant sound has been repeated in the words; “time” and “takes.” In the second stanza, the initial consonant sound; w has also been repeated in the words; wilderness and worlds. The third line also employs the use of alliteration. The words; course and comes points out a situation where the initial consonant sound c has been repeated. The use of alliteration in the poem creates a rhythm as well as musicality in the poem. Alliteration also features in the third stanza where the poet uses the words; training and tune. It brings out the repetition of the consonant sound T, in the poem.
The third aspect of the poem is the use of metaphors. The poet employs indirect comparison to increase the understanding of the reader of the original subject. There is implied a comparison between the wilderness and tuff times. When the poet says that he pursued his journey through the wilderness, he implies that the journey is difficult. The poet indirectly compares the journey to a wilderness to emphasize the understanding of the difficulty associated with the journey.
The poem also employs the use of repetition to achieve the rhythm. In the first stanza, the word “long” has been repeated. The repetition here achieves the musicality of the poem. The repetition employed give pleasure and also convey unity and harmony of the poem structure. In the third stanza, the word most has also been repeated, bringing out the aspect of repetition. The poet choice of words can be said to be figurative. The poet uses words that need deeper understanding with deeper meaning.
The other aspect of the poem is the use of consonance. It is where the writer repeats the consonants sounds that are not initial. In the second stanza, we can identify an example of a consonance. In the words like “wilderness, gleam, thyself, planet,” and “the world”, the consonant sound L has been repeated in the poem. The use of consonance also features in the third stanza where the writer employs words like most, course, distant, comes, and leads in the same line. The use of consonance creates rhythm in the poem thereby enhancing the sense of musicality of the poem.
The poet further explores the use of consonance in the fourth stanza. Words like “traveler” and “every” in that stanza have a consonant sound V, which is non-initial. It, therefore, brings out the aspect of consonance in the poem. . We can also identify the use of consonant sound in the third stanza. Words like “most” and “nearest” brings out the aspect of consonance because of the repetition of the consonant sound st. Consonance is also the aspects of the poem that a poet uses to create rhythm.
The poem also explores the use of rhyme. We can identify the two rhyming words in the second last stanza of the poem. The two words are “strayed” and “wide”, both appearing on the same line. The use of rhyme in the poem is a way of enhancing the musicality of the poem. We can also identify another rhyme in the fourth stanza. Words like the traveler, wander and outer are rhyming words in the same stanza of the poem and are used by the poet to enhance the rhythm of the poem. The words like out and chariot in the third stanza are also rhyming words which the poet employs to create a rhythm of the poem.
The other aspect of the poem is the use of personification. It features in the last stanza of the poem. The streams and deluge have been personified. They have been given the human ability to produce tears. The poet claims that the cry of God’s whereabouts will turn into tears of many streams and deluge. The streams and deluge have been given the human ability to give tears. The tears mentioned in the last stanza can be interpreted as imagery. It has been used figuratively to represent something else and not literary tears.