Wilfrid Wilson Gibson
As gaudy flies across a pewter plate,
On the grey disk of the unrippling sea,
Beneath an airless, sullen sky of slate
Dazzled destroyers zig-zag restlessly,
While underneath the sleek and livid tide,
Blind monsters nosing through the soundless deep,
Lean submarines among blind fishes glide
And through primeval weedy forests sweep.
Over the hot grey surface of my mind
Glib, motley rumours zig-zag without rest,
While deep within the darkness of my breast
Monstrous desires, lean, sinister and blind,
Slink through unsounded night and stir the slime
And ooze of oceans of forgotten time.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem seems to delve into the eerie, almost hypnotic relationship between the external world of war — specifically naval warfare — and the internal, psychological impact it has on the individual. The imagery is bleak, and the tone is one of restlessness, confusion, and foreboding, suggesting that both the sea and the human mind are places where monstrous things lurk in the depths.
The first stanza sets a disturbing scene of naval warfare on a “grey disk” of an “unrippling sea” under a “sullen sky of slate.” This lack of motion in the environment — the airless, grey sea — contrasts with the chaotic activity of the destroyers and submarines that “zig-zag restlessly,” suggesting a tension between the stillness of the world and the restless violence that takes place within it. The “dazzled destroyers” seem almost hypnotized, and the “blind monsters” and “lean submarines” evoke a sense of predatory, aimless movement, as if these machines, like the human mind, are caught in some sort of ceaseless, destructive cycle. The sea becomes a metaphor for the mind — a vast, deep place full of hidden dangers, but also a place where “primeval weedy forests” suggest something ancient and primal, an underworld beneath the surface.
In the second stanza, the poem shifts to the personal, offering a glimpse into the speaker’s internal landscape. The “hot grey surface” of the mind is again depicted in muted, ashen tones, mirroring the dull landscape of war. The “motley rumours” that “zig-zag without rest” recall the disorienting, often contradictory information that a soldier or anyone living through wartime would experience. This restlessness of the mind echoes the movements of the war machines above, both unable to find any real rest or resolution. The “monstrous desires, lean, sinister and blind,” that slink through the darkness beneath the speaker’s chest represent the darker aspects of human nature, perhaps the violent urges or unresolved anxieties that war brings out in people.
The phrase “oceans of forgotten time” is particularly telling. It suggests that the speaker’s mind is a vast, unfathomable place, filled with memories, desires, and thoughts that are too deep to be fully understood. These “oceans” are not just about the present conflict, but are tied to forgotten histories, forgotten sins, and long-suppressed emotions. The word “slime” has a repellent quality, evoking decay and rot, suggesting that the mind, like the sea, contains things that are left unchecked or undiscovered.
The imagery throughout the poem is vivid, but it also maintains a sense of detachment. There is little sense of human presence in the physical world — just war machines and monstrous creatures. The action is impersonal, almost surreal. This could represent how, in times of war or trauma, the human being becomes detached from their surroundings, no longer fully connected to the events taking place or to their own feelings and thoughts. It’s as if the war machines, the monsters of the sea, and the desires stirring within the speaker’s own psyche are all part of the same dark, unfeeling system.
In a way, this poem explores the ways in which war, with its relentless brutality and disorienting violence, mirrors the internal chaos and darkness that exists within the mind. The “dazzled destroyers” and “blind monsters” seem to have no clear purpose, much like the desires and thoughts that swirl through the speaker’s own mind, but both are caught in a cycle of aimless destruction. There’s a sense of inevitability, as though the mind and the world outside are both drawn into the same pattern, where meaning and purpose are lost in a sea of violence and confusion.
Ultimately, the poem explores how war isn’t just something that happens externally, but something that shapes the inner landscape of the individual. The external world of war and the internal world of the mind are connected by a shared restlessness, a sense of being lost in an environment full of monstrous forces, both outside and within.