walking away

• It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day —

  A sunny day with leaves just turning,
• • Day Lewis’ speaker marks the moment as significant as they remember a day eighteen years ago 
  • The poet uses natural imagery to describe the day as autumnal, creating a nostalgic mood
• Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away: 'The poet'
• The child leaves the parent


  The parent feels a loss
• Satellite in orbit


  Represents the dependent relationship of parent and child
• The child is no longer dependent on the parent


  The parent's life no longer revolves around the child
• Behind a scatter of boys. I can see You walking away from me towards the school: 'The poet'
• With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free

  Into a wilderness, the gait of one

  Who finds no path where the path should be

  • he poet uses natural imagery again to present the natural process of separation in family relationships:
  • Here, he uses the image of a baby bird flying from its nest into the dangerous wilderness to represent the child leaving the safety of the home
  • The imagery conveys the parents own feelings of hesitation
• I have had worse partings, but none that so

  Gnaws at my mind still. Perhaps it is roughly”

  • he poet uses language which presents the relentless agony of parent and child separation: 
  • The memory “gnaws” even eighteen years later
  • The poet ends the line with the word “roughly” to highlight the harsh emotions felt