Minor Poems- The wind sprang up at four o'clock Summary

The narrator of this poem talks of facing his fears and personal demons in the middle of the night. He likens his fear of death to facing a jungle tribe holding spears. He speaks of looking across the river that separates life from death.

Minor Poems- The wind sprang up at four o'clock Analysis

The theme of this poem, like so many of Eliot's, is facing Death and the fact of our own mortality when we are alone. There can be great peace found in quiet times of rest; however, it is at these times that our mind delves into long-buried memories and resurrects them. If the memories are painful ones, then we try to subdue them once again because we feel vulnerable, alone in the dark...