I explain the silvered passing of a ship at night,

I explain the silvered passing of a ship at night,
The sweep of each sad lost wave,
The dwindling boom of the steel thing’s striving,
The little cry of a man to a man,
A shadow falling across the greyer night,
And the sinking of the small star;
Then the waste, the far waste of waters,
And the soft lashing of black waves
For long and in loneliness.

Remember, thou, O ship of love,
Thou leavest a far waste of waters,
And the soft lashing of black waves
For long and in loneliness.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Stephen Crane's poem I explain the silvered passing of a ship at night,

2 Comments

  1. Peter C. Langella says:

    The utter immensity of death

  2. rcn says:

    Profound and moving, Crane expresses the mystery of love – love that does not stay – the sea that gave it passage becomes a void. Loss.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Stephen Crane better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.