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Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.
Stevie Smith
Read poems about / on: heart, life
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| Comments about this poem (Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith) |
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Tim Woodhouse (11/2/2008 4:19:00 PM)
Sometimes I put on a jovial facade to hide my fears and inadequacies only to feel that I'm slowly sinking under the pressure.
The poem doesn't have to be about suicide or depression, more perhaps about not really coping despite others thinking that we have no worries or problems.
I know work colleagues who have suddenly resigned and walked out because things were too much for them, taking us all by surprise.You could say that their careers have 'died' or certainly that a period of their lives has 'died'. It's just a thought... |
Dick Goddard (10/20/2007 4:21:00 PM)
It appears to me that all of the comments represent excellent interpretations. However, I don't know that Stevie Smith was depressed. I suspect that 'not waving but drowning' represented the predictment that many women found themselves in during her time and prior to her. It must have been frustrating and depressing (not in the clinical sense) to be a very intelligent woman 'further out' but expected only to smile and be charming 'waving' while being spiritually boxed in 'drowning'. |
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