Thomas Hardy's "At the Altar Rail" stresses the distinction between idealized love and the reality of imperfect human relationships. Hardy takes on two personas in this poem - one of the abandoned groom and the other of the absent bride. As the title suggests, a hapless groom is left stunned at the altar rail on his wedding day, having received a telegram that informs him "'My bride is not coming, alas!"' (Line 1) The groom goes on to lament that "Twas foolish perhaps!" (Line 8) to marry so quickly. While the groom may have had sincere intentions to wed, it becomes quite clear that the bride did not picture herself as a farmer's wife. She was by no means the type to settle down. Hardy seems to suggest that love strikes blindly and randomly, and that many fall prey to it with no discretion.

Hardy uses tone and structure...