Death
The poem is an elegy mourning the death of a young farrier. Felix Randal has succumbed to an illness, likely tuberculosis, of which the real-life individual on whom the poem is believed to be based died. The poem mourns the unfortunate fate of the young man, who was an exceptional example of health and strength and who stood out among his peers. It is narrated by a priest (most likely the poet himself) who knew the young man and who is having a difficult time navigating between his duties to be above earthly concerns as a priest, and his fatherly affection for the unfortunate Felix Randal. The speaker does not find a good reason for this death, but he barely seems to search for it; instead he reflects upon his closeness to Felix in the last months of his life and relishes the good memories he has of the young man. The speaker seems to have made some sort of peace with the prospect of unfair death; while he mourns Felix, the speaker thinks of the comfort he provided to the sick man. While the poem is never self-aggrandizing, the speaker appears to take solace in the fact that he eased the pain of this man's untimely death.
Religion
The poem is told from the perspective of a priest who receives the news that the young Felix Randal, whom he knew, died. The priest remembers the young man in his prime and mourns his unfortunate fate. He remembers how he tendered "sweet reprieve and ransom" to the young man in the months leading up to his death. As a priest, he wishes for God to give Felix rest and forgive his sins, but as a man, he is saddened by the loss of the young life. The speaker's relationship to his religion and to God are not weakened by this occurrence, despite its unfairness; "Ah well," he says, indicating a level of resignation. He understands that God's plan will forever be obscured from him and only wishes that Felix be met with forgiveness by his maker.
Love and empathy
The heart of this poem, though its mention is relatively brief, is the relationship between Felix and the speaker. The first two stanzas are nearly impartial; the speaker reflects on the fact that his duties for Felix have ended. He thinks of how Felix at first was furious at the prospect of his death but eventually came to accept it. In the third stanza the speaker reflects upon how Felix's illness endeared him to the preacher but also endeared the preacher to him; he says, "My tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears,/Thy tears that touched my heart, child, Felix, poor Felix Randal;" in these lines appears a cycle of affection linking Felix's tears and the speaker's heart. The speaker's feelings hence go beyond pain and sorrow about the young man's death; he feels with great empathy the same sorrow Felix feels, and in return gives Felix the gift of peace through the final rites and other spiritual comforts he provided.
