From out the dragging vastness of the sea,
Wave-fettered, bound in sinuous, seaweed strands,
He toils toward the rounding beach, and stands
One moment, white and dripping, silently,
Cut like a cameo in lazuli,
Then falls, betrayed by shifting shells, and lands
Prone in the jeering water, and his hands
Clutch for support where no support can be.
So up, and down, and forward, inch by inch,
He gains upon the shore, where poppies glow
And sandflies dance their little lives away.
The sucking waves retard, and tighter clinch
The weeds about him, but the land-winds blow,
And in the sky there blooms the sun of May.
Wave-fettered, bound in sinuous, seaweed strands,
He toils toward the rounding beach, and stands
One moment, white and dripping, silently,
Cut like a cameo in lazuli,
Then falls, betrayed by shifting shells, and lands
Prone in the jeering water, and his hands
Clutch for support where no support can be.
So up, and down, and forward, inch by inch,
He gains upon the shore, where poppies glow
And sandflies dance their little lives away.
The sucking waves retard, and tighter clinch
The weeds about him, but the land-winds blow,
And in the sky there blooms the sun of May.
Amy Lowell
Through clear and expressive imagery, I would link Lowell's poem to 'Fallen' by Alice Corbin, as both seem to explore the connection between nature and death or invalidity; both poems begin to interest the reader through their effective use of the implied metaphor - the "sea" - when discussing their prevailing male character's circumstance. In 'Fallen', it could be highlighted that this point is shown in the subdued "waves" that her soldier has presently fallen in, as he may be experiencing a flashback of more pleasant times in his life. In contrast to this, Lowell could imply "the dragging vastness of the sea" creates the image of a turbulent sea in the midst of its "toils"; this depicts the idea that the soldier she is commenting upon is living through a "sucking" pain which seems as endless as the sea. Furthermore, although it seems that these two poets have written about the sea in conflicting manners (as I would argue the sea in Corbin's poem allows the joyous moments to return to him from the "wreckage"), it still portrays a general concept of the lifespan of people and the everlasting life of nature.
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