Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Sea Should Have Settled Him, But Its Noise Is No Help," Derek Walcott presents a portrait of a man consumed by the presence and influence of the sea, exploring the tension between the physical world and the emotional upheaval within. The poem, rich in maritime imagery, traces the inner life of a man whose relationship with the sea is complex, fraught with both beauty and burden. Walcott uses the sea as a metaphor for unresolved emotional states, while also grounding the man’s experiences in the tactile, sensory realities of everyday life. Through this exploration, the poem becomes a meditation on longing, memory, and the inability to find peace, even when surrounded by the comforting rhythms of the natural world.

The opening lines immediately set the tone of the poem: "The sea should / have settled him, but its noise is no help." The speaker suggests that the man, presumably seeking solace in the sound and presence of the sea, remains troubled. The sea, often associated with calm and healing in poetry, is here ineffective, its noise offering no comfort to the man’s inner turmoil. This conflict between expectation and reality becomes a central theme of the poem. The sea, which might typically provide peace, instead serves as a backdrop for the man’s restless emotional state.

Walcott continues to develop the man's connection to the sea, noting that his "doors invite a sail to cross a kitchen-sill at sunrise." This image blurs the boundaries between the domestic and the natural world, suggesting that the sea is so deeply intertwined with the man’s life that it permeates even the most intimate, ordinary spaces. The sea’s presence is constant and invasive, crossing into his home as if it has a life of its own. However, this is not a source of joy or satisfaction for the man; instead, the sea evokes a "phantom passion"—a love or longing that is intangible, elusive, and ultimately unfulfilling. The "reek of kelp drying in the sunlit wind" and the "veils of a drizzle hazing a narrow cave" suggest sensory memories tied to the sea, but these memories fail to soothe the man’s soul. They are "phantom" in that they cannot be fully grasped or resolved.

Walcott further deepens this portrayal of the man’s emotional disquiet through a series of natural images that reflect his heightened sensitivity. The "feathering lances of grass" are likened to a "soundless siege," an image that evokes both the beauty and the violence of nature. The man perceives even the smallest movements in the natural world—such as a bird skipping across a wave—as deeply affecting. His heart "shoot[s]" like an arrow, and his wrist "dances" in response, signaling an almost uncontrollable emotional response to the world around him. The man is hyper-attuned to the nuances of his environment, but this sensitivity, rather than grounding him, leaves him in a state of perpetual agitation.

The poem’s middle section shifts focus to the man's relationship with time and memory, particularly as reflected in the natural world. The "full moon in daylight," "the sky's waning rose," and "the gray wind" all suggest a blending of day and night, of beginnings and endings, emphasizing the man’s feeling of being caught between worlds—between the past and the present, between longing and fulfillment. The image of the "gray wind" as a "nurse trawling her shawl of white lace" is particularly poignant, as it evokes both care and inevitability. The man’s emotional wounds, "sprinkled with salt," speak to the sea’s dual role as both healer and tormentor. The salt, traditionally associated with cleansing, here exacerbates the pain, as the man is unable to escape the constant reminder of his inner turmoil.

The notion of small, everyday rituals, or "small odysseys," serves as a counterpoint to the larger, more mythic themes of the poem. The man’s "waking house" becomes a vessel launched "with the rhythm of a galley" in the early hours of the morning. This image likens the man’s daily routine—rising from bed, making coffee, and dressing—to a journey or battle, reflecting the internal struggle he faces each day. Even the simple act of unscrewing the coffee jar becomes fraught with meaning, as the man pauses, "paralyzed by a sail crossing blue windows." This sail, a recurring image in the poem, symbolizes both the man’s attraction to the sea and his paralysis in the face of it. He is drawn to the sea’s mystery and power, but he is also immobilized by it, unable to move forward in his life or find peace.

The final section of the poem brings the sea’s influence to its most powerful expression. The moon, often associated with the sea’s tides, becomes a force that "drags the tides" and "hauls the heart by hawsers." The moon's pull is described as being "stronger than any devotion," suggesting that the man’s emotional connection to the sea, or perhaps to something larger and more elusive, is more powerful than any human relationship or commitment. The man’s longing is not only for the sea but for something beyond it—something that transcends ordinary experience. However, this longing also creates "monsters," pulling even the "god-settled heroes from their houses." Here, Walcott invokes the idea of mythic heroes—perhaps even Odysseus again—who are drawn away from their homes and families by forces beyond their control, echoing the man’s own sense of being lured by something he cannot resist.

In "Sea Should Have Settled Him, But Its Noise Is No Help," Derek Walcott masterfully captures the emotional disquiet of a man caught between the physical beauty of the sea and the unresolved turmoil within him. The sea, while a constant presence, offers no comfort, only deepens the man's sense of longing and isolation. Through richly evocative imagery, Walcott explores the complexities of human emotion—desire, memory, and the struggle to find peace in a world that is both beautiful and overwhelming. The man’s internal "small odysseys" mirror the larger journeys of mythic heroes, but unlike them, he remains trapped, unable to find resolution in either the natural world or his own heart. The poem stands as a poignant meditation on the limits of nature’s ability to heal and the enduring power of longing.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...