The speaker refers to “a man” rather than “the man,” indicating in this choice of the indefinite article that this man is non-specific. It could be any man. It could also be nearly anywhere and anytime in the twentieth century, as the only specific indicator of time or place is the road and the threat of the automobile. Demonstrating great care, the man looks twice in both directions, steps gently, and ensures that no car splashes the boy or drives so near as to disturb his dreams. Significantly, the man has no apparent concern for himself.
The meter of the poem is irregular and the stanzas is of varying length, but there are other elements that give it form. The second and last stanzas create a kind of repetition, each consisting of two short statements beginning with the same word: “No” in the first case, and “The” in the second. The