Robert Nichols
Upon the sweltering sea’s enormous round,
Asmoke, adazzle, brown and brown and gold,
A hushed light falls….
Then clouds without a sound
Darken the sea within their curtain’s fold.
The sombre clouds through which the sick sun climbs
Smoke slowly on. Below there is no breath.
The long black beach turns livid.
The sea chimes.
I taste the fulness of my spirit’s death.
© by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes
You may find this and other poems here.
Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem paints a vivid, heavy picture of a war-torn environment, capturing not just the external landscape but also the speaker’s internal turmoil. The setting, a “sweltering sea,” suggests an oppressive, unyielding heat that mirrors the speaker’s emotional state. The imagery is stark, filled with deep contrasts like “brown and brown and gold,” which gives the scene an overwhelming, almost suffocating feel.
The line “A hushed light falls” immediately introduces a sense of stillness, a moment of pause that contrasts with the heaviness of the environment. The following darkness, as “clouds without a sound” roll in, signals a shift from a brief moment of calm to something foreboding, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and impending doom. This lack of sound adds to the tension, amplifying the heaviness of the moment and evoking a sense of dread.
The “long black beach” that “turns livid” suggests decay or corruption, tying the natural world to the violence and destruction of war. The beach, once a symbol of leisure or serenity, is now corrupted and lifeless, reflecting how war alters the natural order of things. The sea, which typically symbolizes life or vastness, becomes a place of menace, with the “sea chimes” feeling more like a warning than a melody. The sound is disconnected from its usual association with peace, turning it into something unsettling.
The final line, “I taste the fulness of my spirit’s death,” is particularly striking. It moves the focus from the external world to the speaker’s inner experience, emphasizing the emotional toll war has on the individual. The use of “fullness” suggests that death is not just a physical or external event; it is a comprehensive, consuming force that overwhelms the speaker’s spirit, making it a part of the landscape they inhabit.
Throughout the poem, the atmosphere is heavy with impending doom, both in the environment and in the speaker’s own consciousness. There is a sense of hopelessness and despair, as if the speaker is both physically and emotionally consumed by the forces around them. This poem, though focused on the external world, ultimately reflects the internal devastation of the individual caught in the storm of war.