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Written across three uneven stanzas, the poem begins by comparing the ocean to a hungry dog on account of its energy and potential volatility. As the poem progresses, Reeves describes the sea in its many different states, emphasizing its innate changeability.
- Male
- April 20, 1997
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
Aug 30, 2017 · What are the greatest sea poems? We’ve scoured the oceans of verse to bring you these ten classic seafaring poems, covering over a thousand years of English-language poetry. So if you’re ready to take to the sea, we’ll begin… 1. Oliver Tearle, ‘Sea Glass’.
- Introduction
- About The Poet
- Theme
- Structure
- Stanza 1
- Stanza 2
- Stanza 3
- Conclusion
‘The Sea’ is a short lyric poem written by James Reeves. As the title suggests, the poem talks about the sea, describing it with an unusual comparison to an animal, dog.
James Reeves (1909-1978) was a prominent British author. He works were mainly poetry and children’s literature. Famous works of his include ‘The Wandering Moon’, ‘The Everlasting Circle’ and ‘The Blackbird in the Lilac’.
The theme of this poem again is the sea. The poet delves deep into describing the sea, its characteristics being compared to that of a dog.
This is a short, lyric poem. It is divided into three stanzas of varying length. Its rhyme scheme too varies. The first stanza has the rhyme scheme of a bb cc ddd c. The second stanza has f ghhg while the third has iii c jj.
The poem begins with the persona comparing the sea to a dog, one that is hungry. This can be seen throughout the entirety of the poem. Here, the persona describes the colour of the sea to the colour of that particular dog- grey. The word ‘big’ here is used to reveal the vastness of the sea, how dangerous it tends to be. The crashing of the waves is...
The comparison continues in this stanza. During stormy nights, the sea is compared to a dog that shakes off its wetness to show how it too crashes over the cliffs sloppily, making it wet in the process. Again, the howling of the sea is compared to the howling of a dog.
The poem shifts from storms to pleasant weather in the stanza. The month of May and June are referenced to signify calm weather, when even the grass is quiet. Here, the sea is like a content dog, silently laying its head between his paws. No longer is the sea a hungry dog, rather one that is almost blissfully lazy and quiet.
This is a poem that is unique in nature for it compares the sea with a dog, a seemingly unrelated term. It thus details on the various moods of the sea, how it can both be raging and calm at different times just like a dog would, making way for an interesting perception.
From the elusive octopus to the majestic whale and the whimsical seahorse, these poems transport us to the depths of the ocean, where beauty and mystery intertwine. Just as the sea creatures themselves, these poems captivate our hearts and remind us of the wonders that lie beneath the surface.
The excerpt includes seven stanzas from the poem, starting with stanza CLXXVIII, or 178, and ending with stanza 184. The sea is the primary topic at work in this poem. The poet is interested in depicting and sharing images related to the ocean's strength and God's creation of it.
1 - 18 of 18. Poems about the Beauty of the Ocean. Poetry about the endless blue oceans and powerful waves. Poems about the oceanic habitat and the mysterious creatures who inhabit the ocean.
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These poems are just a glimpse into the vast array of sea animal-inspired poetry. From the mesmerizing movements of jellyfish to the magnificence of whales, poets have found inspiration in the creatures that inhabit the sea. Through their verses, they offer us a portal into the mysterious world beneath the waves.
