In this poem, the writer describes three members of the animal kingdom that are considered to be "blind" by the human world, yet each manages to get by quite well. De La Mare speaks first about the Mole, who despite its "blindness", sustains itself by eating the worms that it "gropes" for in its "cambered hole". Although to us it might appear that the Mole is limited in its ability because it cannot "see", in reality, it is perfectly capable of taking care of itself. What senses it possesses allow it to "see" as clearly as it needs to.
The writer next talks about the Bat, another creature that, from our point of view, seems to be lacking the sense of sight. Yet even without being able to "see", it is able to navigate flawlessly "in the evening sky", flying freely without difficulty. The same is true of the Barn Owl. Like the Mole and the Bat, it does not "see" with its eyes like we do, so we think it is "blind", but it, too, manages to get along quite well. Indeed, the senses the Mole, Bat, and Barn Owl do have might be even more acute than the gift of sight as we envision it.
De la Mare is saying that "sight" is different things to different people (or creatures in general). Just as we think the Mole, Bat, and Barn Owl are "blind" because they do not "see" as we do, so others might think we are blind because we do not "see" as do they. In a metaphorical sense, "sight" is "understanding". I might think someone else is "blind" because they don't perceive things as I do, but by the same token, my understanding of something might make someone else think that I am the one who is lacking in the ability to "see".
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