Goethe

Calm at Sea

Calm at Sea - meaning Summary

Stillness at Sea

The poem depicts an unnerving, absolute calm at sea that unsettles the sailor rather than soothes him. Wide, motionless waters and an absence of wind create an oppressive silence likened to a grave. The usual movement of waves is described as having sunk to sleep, turning the ocean into a vast, lifeless plain. The poem focuses on mood and atmosphere, conveying anxiety born of stillness and immobility.

Read Complete Analyses

Silence deep rules o'er the waters, Calmly slumb'ring lies the main, While the sailor views with trouble Nought but one vast level plain. Not a zephyr is in motion! Silence fearful as the grave! In the mighty waste of ocean Sunk to rest is ev'ry wave.

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