How does Charles Causley present memories in 'Eden Rock'?

The narrator in ‘Eden Rock’ reflects on specific memories of his parents at a crucial point in his life: he is on the verge of life and death. The narrator’s parents beckon him to cross the stream and join them and, in this way, Causley figures the act of crossing the stream as a metaphor for passing into the afterlife. The poem’s form complements this as the memory is described in traditional 4 line stanzas, but the sentences run across lines and verses. Thus, the memory fits disharmoniously into the strict form. Indeed, the form disappears with the final line stanza; this dissolution of form complements the process of death.Memory is consequently presented as melancholic and surreal. Causley describes very specific memories of “Genuine Irish Tweed”, “a Thermos” and “an old H.P Sauce bottle”. These references to branding stand out within a poem – a place we do not expect to hear branded items. Yet, these specific memories are described in a vague setting: “somewhere beyond Eden Rock”. The biblical allusion here to the Garden of Eden adds to the surreal depiction of memory as the speaker’s parents are placed within an unreachable paradise. Moreover, Causley describes the colour of the sky with a surreal metaphor: “the sky whitens as if lit by three suns”. This light image further adds to the impression that the speaker is coming towards the end of his life as death if often analogised as ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’.