Lost
Lost - context Summary
Published in 1916
Published in Sandburg's 1916 collection Chicago Poems, "Lost" presents a brief, atmospheric scene of a lone boat whistle on a fog-bound lake. The poem frames the sound as a persistent, plaintive call—likened to a lost child—searching for the safety of a harbor. Its compact imagery emphasizes isolation, yearning, and the human impulse to find refuge amid obscuring mist and uncertainty.
Read Complete AnalysesDesolate and lone All night long on the lake Where fog trails and mist creeps, The whistle of a boat Calls and cries unendingly, Like some lost child In tears and trouble Hunting the harbor's breast And the harbor's eyes.
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