Discuss the poem as an intersection of the past and present life.

This poem focuses strongly on what the speaker has inherited from his father and his grandfather. Their work ethics and consistency stand out to him the most; he thinks of how long his father has been doing the same thing over and over, and the strength with which his grandfather dug. When the speaker says he has "no spade to follow men like them," his voice is tinged with sorrow. Yet he feels he has inherited the spirit with which they dug, even if he has chosen a different path. He tries to liken writing to digging, perhaps because breaking away from the tradition makes him feel like an outsider, like he cannot fully understand his father and grandfather. This poem is his attempts to tie himself into his heritage.