PASSING through huddled and ugly walls
By doorways where women
Looked from their hunger-deep eyes,
Haunted with shadows of hunger-hands,
Out from the huddled and ugly walls,
I came sudden, at the city’s edge,
On a blue burst of lake,
Long lake waves breaking under the sun
On a spray-flung curve of shore;
And a fluttering storm of gulls,
Masses of great gray wings
And flying white bellies
Veering and wheeling free in the open
The Harbor
Analysis, meaning and summary of Carl Sandburg's poem The Harbor
5 Comments
Leave a Reply
Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Carl Sandburg better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.
I agree with Jeff. If you transcribe the poem phonetically, you will see that Sandburg uses the same types of sounds, not just short “u” but sounds that are dark, dreary, cold, and do not have a vowel in the final syllable. He is setting a mood and wants the listener to feel the mood.
g’day mates. what a wonderful poem. it really does bring out his work.
The contrast of the city to the shore is exquisite. One underlying meaning one may extricate from the poem is that of one who has has his share of lovers, all of which left him unsatisfied. Yet the shore, and its image of gleaming beauty and youth gives the idea of a new love, one with meaning. The blue lake appears to serve as a symbol for hope and rebirth in the sexual awareness of the poet.
a very beautiful poem. at first i thought it was about people being enslaved or just imprisoned and were hungry, but i asked my english teacher about it and then thought about it again. it’s just a moment in his life. he’s seeing the harbor and the water and takes us through the images as he sees them. he contrasts the bleak, dark city with the bright and lively harbor. there’s no real message of this poem, it’s just images in chicago as he sees them.
such a wonderful poem. one can feel the waves and the fluttering wings of birds. It is a gift to be so descriptive with words.