# IV: Death by Water explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by T. S. Eliot.

## What happens

The brief chapter reflects on the death of Phlebas the Phoenician, who, after a fortnight dead, has forgotten the cries of gulls, the deep sea swell, and worldly concerns of profit and loss. His bones are picked clean by the underwater current as he passes through the stages of his life and enters the whirlpool. The poem directly addresses the reader, urging them to consider Phlebas, who was once as handsome and tall as they are now.

## Themes in this chapter

### Time and Mortality

Phlebas's death and the dissolution of his body illustrate the inevitable passage of time and the leveling power of death.

### Memory and the Past

Phlebas forgets his past life—the gulls, the sea swell, and his worldly gains—as death erases memory.

## Character check-ins

### Phlebas the Phoenician

The central figure of the chapter, now dead and forgotten, his body consumed by the sea.

## Key lines

> Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead, Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell And the profit and loss.

Phlebas, a Phoenician sailor, has been dead for two weeks and has already forgotten the sounds of the sea and all his worldly gains and losses.

_Highlights the theme of mortality and the erasure of earthly concerns after death._

> Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.

Think about Phlebas, who was once just as attractive and strong as you are now.

_Directly addresses the reader, emphasizing the universality of death and the futility of pride._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters/iv-death-by-water
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_21_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_21_se/chapters