It Tossed and Tossed
poem 723
It Tossed and Tossed - meaning Summary
Night Voyage and Loss
The poem describes a small brig caught in a sudden storm, helplessly tumbling and spinning as it searches for morning. Dickinson compresses motion and collapse into a brief elegy: the vessel slips from sight and receives a direct farewell, "Brig Good Night," addressing both crew and an implied addressee. The final image—an ocean "too smooth too Blue / To break for You"—contrasts earlier violence with a calm that suggests erasure rather than rescue. Overall it registers sudden loss, human vulnerability at sea, and an ambiguous, mournful resignation.
Read Complete AnalysesIt tossed and tossed A little Brig I knew o’ertook by Blast It spun and spun And groped delirious, for Morn It slipped and slipped As One that drunken stept Its white foot tripped Then dropped from sight Ah, Brig Good Night To Crew and You The Ocean’s Heart too smooth too Blue To break for You
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