ABOARD, at a ship’s helm,
A young steersman, steering with care.

A bell through fog on a sea-coast dolefully ringing,
An ocean-bell—O a warning bell, rock’d by the waves.

O you give good notice indeed, you bell by the sea-reefs ringing,
Ringing, ringing, to warn the ship from its wreck-place.

For, as on the alert, O steersman, you mind the bell’s admonition,
The bows turn,—the freighted ship, tacking, speeds away under her gray sails,
The beautiful and noble ship, with all her precious wealth, speeds away gaily and safe.

But O the ship, the immortal ship! O ship aboard the ship!
O ship of the body—ship of the soul—voyaging, voyaging, voyaging.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Walt Whitman's poem Aboard at a Ship’s Helm.

5 Comments

  1. minu mansoor jasdanwala says:

    here the poet uses the bells as a medium to communicate the dark message from the tempest to the sailor not to advance in his voyage. it implies that there is always an indication in our lives too from the great spirit above about our impending life and the consequences for the decision we make.

  2. Jonathan says:

    Keep writing more poems about the sea!!!!

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