The Sea of Glass Analysis - Literary devices and Poetic devices

The Sea of Glass

I looked and saw a sea
roofed over with rainbows,
In the midst of each
two lovers met and departed;
Then the sky was full of faces
with gold glories behind them.

Meanings of The Sea of Glass

The poem The Sea of Glass, written by Ezra Pound, presents three different but well-connected images to highlight the vastness of the sea, lovers’ love, and the public at large. It presents the theme of love, lost love, and observation.

Meanings of Lines 1-2

I looked and saw a sea
roofed over with rainbows,

The poet presents a speaker speaking in the first person who presents a past event. He says that when he looked, he saw a sea having roofs over it with rainbows around them. This shows that there are two different words used for “looking.” The speaker first looks without intention and then with intention when he sees that it is a sea properly roofed. He observes that it has rainbows over the roof. This shows the deep observation of the speaker, who states that although he sees a sea, it actually presents the vastness of some waterbody with a roof on it with colorful lines that he terms rainbows. This shows the main theme of the vastness of structures and the speaker’s observation.

Meanings of Lines 3-4

In the midst of each
two lovers met and departed;

The speaker moves forward. He states that he sees two lovers meeting and departing in the middle of each of these places. However, interestingly, the place is the only one that is the sea. When reading minutely, it shows that the speaker mentioned several places, including the sea, the roof over, and rainbows. This shows that he sees lovers meeting and moving away from each other. The image shows that it is likely the title of the building, some glasshouse, where he sees lovers meeting each other and departing. These verses show the main idea of love.

Meanings of Lines 5-6

Then the sky was full of faces
with gold glories behind them.

The speaker states that it is also full of faces when he looks at the sky. However, there are glories behind every face. Every face has its own past, present, and future as the achievements that they have won. It also shows that the speaker deeply observes this sea of glass that he mentions in the title. Although it has Christian connotations, the term faces show that it is connected with the world. This shows the transcendentalism in poetic rendition. These verses show the main idea of lost love as well as divine visions.

Summary of The Sea of Glass

Popularity of “The Sea of Glass”: Written by Ezra Pound, a popular English poet and writer, “The Sea of Glass” is a beautiful poem. It depicts two lovers meeting amid rainbows in the sea. It also presents a mix of powerful images that convey various meanings under cover of different poetic techniques. This simple yet precise poem has gained immeasurable popularity due to its subject matter revolving around life and love in the shape of images.
“The Sea of Glass” As a Representative of Creativity: This love poem describes the memorable meeting of two lovers. It begins when the speaker says he saw a sea covered in mesmerizing rainbows. The word “roofed” indicates the attraction one feels while looking at the wonder of nature. The rainbow apparently overpowers the sky’s magnificence, creating a new roof over water. The poet adds two lovers to the scene to fuel the reader’s curiosity. He describes how in this beautiful scene, two lovers meet and depart. This suggests the beginning and end of love by choice or necessity. Once this scene touches the reader’s heart, the poet brings more symbolic images in the final lines. He talks about the sky and how, when he observes it, he sees it is full of faces having “gold glories.” The image of “gold glories” provokes multiple meanings.
Major Themes in “The Sea of Glass”: Natural beauty, love, lost love, and sadness are the major themes in this poem. The poem presents a beautiful natural environment. The poem paints a vivid picture of the sea having a rainbow-like roof. The sea itself gives pleasure to the human eye, and the rainbow’s addition brings more to its beauty. The writer is lucky that he catches a glimpse of this beautiful moment. However, everyone around doesn’t need to be benefitting equally from the bounties of nature. They bring joy, merriment, and peace to someone, while it also becomes an epitome of sadness and melancholy to others. In this poem, two lovers are meeting and separating in this enchanting view, leaving behind faces full of “gold glories.”

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Sea of Glass

literary devices are tools that allow writers to choose their words to create unique styles. In fact, with the help of these devices, the writers convey their ideas, feelings, and emotions to the readers. Ezra Pound used some literary devices in this poem, whose analysis is as follows.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “two lovers met and departed” and the sound of /o/ in “roofed over with rainbows.”
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /th/ in “Then the sky” and the sound of /g/ in “ with gold glories.”
Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing, or idea of a historical, cultural, political, or literary significance. The verse “Then the sky was full of faces” alludes to death and decay.
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “two lovers met and departed” and the sound of /R/ in “roofed over with rainbows.”
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;

“In the midst of each
two lovers met and departed;
Then the sky was full of faces
with gold glories behind them.”

Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. “The Sea of Glass” is an ironic poem. The title hints at something magnificent, but the poem is the melancholic tale of lovers.
Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Ezra Pound used imagery in this poem such as “I looked and saw a sea”, “two lovers met and departed” and “Then the sky was full of faces.”
Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects different in nature. The poet has used the extended metaphor of love in the poem to show how it leaves lasting memories behind after departure.
Symbolism: Symbolism uses symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal ones. The poem uses symbols such as; natural beauty, wonder, love, and sorrow.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Sea of Glass

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices and impressive images.
Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free verse poem with no strict rhyme or meter.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines are useful to quote when talking about the delightful meeting and heart-wrenching departure of two lovers.