Robert Nichols
Alone upon the monotonous ocean’s verge
I take my stand, and view with heavy eye
The grey wave rise. I hear its sullen surge,
Its bubbling rush and sudden downward sigh….
My friends are dead … there fades from me the light
Of her warm face I loved; upon me stare
In the dull noon or deadest hour of night
The smiling lips and chill eyes of Despair.
A light wind blows…. I hear the low wave steal
In and collapse like a despondent breath.
My life has ebbed: I neither see nor feel:
I am suspended between life and death.
Again the wave caves in. O, I am worn
Smoother than any pebble on the beach!
I would dissolve to that whence I was born,
Or alway bide beyond the long wave’s reach.
O Will, thou only strengthener of man’s heart
When all is gone—love and the love of friends,
When even Earth’s comfort has become a part
Of that futility nor breaks nor mends:
Strengthen me now against these utmost wrongs;
Stay my wrecked spirit within thy control,
That men may find some fury in my songs
Which, like strong wine, shall fortify the soul.
Beneath Gold Cap,
June, 1916.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem conveys a deep sense of desolation and personal loss, set against the vast and indifferent backdrop of the sea. The speaker is alone, positioned at the “monotonous ocean’s verge,” a place of isolation that mirrors the internal emptiness they feel. The ocean itself, with its “sullen surge” and “sudden downward sigh,” is not just a physical element but an emotional one, reflecting the speaker’s grief. The relentless rise and fall of the waves act as metaphors for the emotional turbulence of loss and despair, yet the speaker remains distant, detached, as if suspended between life and death.
The mention of “friends are dead” and “the light of her warm face I loved” highlights the personal grief that the speaker carries. The loss is not just of companions, but also of love, a loss so profound that it seems to eclipse the speaker’s ability to feel or perceive the world around them. “Smiling lips and chill eyes of Despair” evokes a haunting image, where the absence of life has been replaced by an empty, insidious presence of despair that watches from every corner. The speaker is caught in a state where they are neither fully alive nor dead, echoing the sense of being trapped in a liminal space between the two.
There is a yearning for dissolution, as the speaker wishes to “dissolve to that whence I was born” or escape the world entirely, finding solace beyond the reach of the waves. The image of being smoothed “smoother than any pebble on the beach” suggests a desire to be worn down by time and grief until all that remains is a soft, indistinguishable part of the world, free from pain and memory.
Yet, despite the overwhelming sense of futility, the speaker turns to the “Will” as a last anchor. This is a plea for strength, a cry for the force that can pull them from the brink of total dissolution. The speaker calls on the will to fuel their creativity, to transform this despair into something that can fortify others. The desire for “fury in my songs” is a recognition of art’s power to confront suffering and give it shape, to turn it into something that might transcend the moment of grief.
Ultimately, this poem is a reflection on loss, despair, and the search for strength in the face of overwhelming emotional ruin. It captures the profound isolation of grief, yet also the hope that from this darkness, something powerful and redemptive might emerge, whether in the form of resilience or artistic expression. The sea, ever-present and indifferent, mirrors the speaker’s emotional landscape, a fitting backdrop to the deep struggle for meaning in the face of loss.