[2] It documents his journey, by train, through the Alps, from Rome to Paris in 1950 and captures his feelings towards his waning faith in Catholicism.
Evidence of this interpretation can be heard at Lowell's 1963 poetry reading at the Guggenheim Museum, when he introduced his reading of "Beyond the Alps" by stating that, "[the poem was] a declaration of my faith or lack of faith.
[4] Then, Lowell published a significantly revised version in his book, Life Studies (1959) in which two major stanzas were removed.
However, Lowell was still not satisfied with the poem and republished it one more time, with slight revisions, in For the Union Dead (1964).
Lowell stated in an "Introductory Note" to For the Union Dead, that he "restored [the stanza] at the suggestion of John Berryman.