If, when hearing that I have been stilled at last, they stand at the door,
Watching the full-starred heavens that winter sees,
Will this thought rise on those who will meet my face no more,
“He was one who had an eye for such mysteries”?
–“Afterwards,”
Thomas Hardy
Read the passage. What is the meaning of the euphemism "I have been stilled”?
I am speechless.
I have died.
I have been abandoned.
I am lonely.
The meaning of the euphemism "I have been stilled" is "I have died."
The meaning of the euphemism "I have been stilled" in the passage is that the speaker has died.
To understand the meaning of the euphemism "I have been stilled" in the given passage, let's break it down and analyze the context.
In the poem, the speaker is contemplating their own death and wondering how others will perceive them when they are gone. The phrase "I have been stilled" is a euphemism for "I have died." It suggests that the speaker's voice, presence, or life force has ceased to exist. The word "stilled" implies a sense of silence or stopping, indicating the absence of any further movement or activities associated with life.
To arrive at this interpretation, you can examine the surrounding lines and the overall tone of the poem. The description of others standing at the door watching the winter night sky, combined with the subsequent question about being remembered as someone who had an eye for mysteries, indicates a reflection on mortality and the legacy one leaves behind after death.
In conclusion, the meaning of the euphemism "I have been stilled" in this context is that the speaker has died and is no longer alive.