# Epigraph explained — Captains Courageous

> Chapter companion for Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.

## What happens

The epigraph, a stanza from Longfellow's poem, sets the tone for the novel by contrasting the speaker's life on land with the persistent allure of the sea, as evoked by the tales of old sailors.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Sea and Nature

The epigraph introduces the sea as a powerful, alluring force that contrasts with the speaker's land-bound life.

## Key lines

> I ploughed the land with horses, But my heart was ill at ease, For the old sea-faring men Came to me now and then, With their sagas of the seas.

Although I worked the land, I felt restless because sailors would visit me and tell stories of the sea.

_The epigraph captures the longing for the sea that pervades the novel._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/captains_courageous_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/captains_courageous_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/captains_courageous_se/chapters