Question

A journey is often used as an extended metaphor of the passage of life itself, of our passing through time. Recognizing that possibility, how would you interpret the deeper or figurative meaning of the poem?A. E. Housman’s ‘Into my heart an air that kills’

Answer 1

I would interpret the deeper meaning of the poem as the author is remembering how content he was in the past years of his life. He is showing how time has moved on, and he has had to leave the "happy highways" behind. Therefore, the author is wrapped up in nostalgia, longing for the good times he once had. This is how I would interpret the deeper meaning of the poem.

Answer 2

it seems that the speaker is recalling some distant memory with a bit of nostalgia. It might be said that he even sounds melancholic.The reader might get the impression that even his memory is pleasant, he is not able to return there because he had already left. there seems to be some kind of contrast between past and present, which might show the passing of time.