Adrift! a Little Boat Adrift!
poem 30
Adrift! a Little Boat Adrift! - meaning Summary
From Peril to Deliverance
The poem follows the simple image of a small boat facing danger, using contrasting times of day to mark different responses. Initially the boat is "adrift" and threatened by coming night, prompting a plea for guidance. Sailors witness a despairing moment when a boat succumbs and sinks. By contrast, angels observe a morning scene in which a battered boat is renewed—its masts and sails repaired—and propelled forward. The poem moves from vulnerability and possible loss to restoration and hopeful resurgence, suggesting different outcomes depending on who intervenes and when.
Read Complete AnalysesAdrift! A little boat adrift! And night is coming down! Will no one guide a little boat Unto the nearest town? So Sailors say on yesterday Just as the dusk was brown One little boat gave up its strife And gurgled down and down. So angels say on yesterday Just as the dawn was red One little boat o’erspent with gales Retrimmed its masts redecked its sails And shot exultant on!
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