The Torch
The Torch - meaning Summary
Nightwork and Guiding Light
The short lyric shows a nocturnal scene of fishermen on a northwest shore watching others spearing salmon from a canoe. The dim craft crosses black water with a blazing torch at its prow, providing light and direction for communal labor. The poem compresses a single moment into an emblem of guidance, collective effort, and the practical intimacy between people and the natural, watery landscape.
Read Complete AnalysesON my northwest coast in the midst of the night, a fishermen’s group stands watching; Out on the lake, that expands before them, others are spearing salmon; The canoe, a dim shadowy thing, moves across the black water, Bearing a Torch a-blaze at the prow.
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