# All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Joyce.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### Narrator

The speaker who hears the waters and feels the cold winds.

## Key lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters/xxxv-all-day-i-hear-the-noise-of-waters
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_11_se/chapters