Poetry · Chapter
All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters explained
The narrator describes the constant, mournful sound of waters, comparing it to a seabird's lonely cry.
What happens
The narrator describes the constant, mournful sound of waters, comparing it to a seabird's lonely cry. The grey, cold winds accompany the speaker as they hear the waters flowing endlessly below.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and Mood
The noise of waters and grey winds create a melancholic, lonely atmosphere.
Isolation and Connection
The seabird going forth alone mirrors the speaker's sense of solitude.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The speaker who hears the waters and feels the cold winds.
Key passages
“All day I hear the noise of waters / Making moan, / Sad as the sea-bird is, when going / Forth alone”
Throughout the day, I hear the waters moaning, as sorrowful as a seabird that ventures out by itself.
Establishes the central auditory image and the mood of loneliness.
“The grey winds, the cold winds are blowing / Where I go. / I hear the noise of many waters / Far below.”
Wherever I go, the grey and cold winds blow, and I hear the sound of many waters far beneath me.
Emphasizes the pervasive, inescapable nature of the winds and waters.