Sorrow

I interpreted “Sorrow” as a somber poem, discussing the roles of women and men through a comparison with the seaside. The “I” in the poem is most likely the poet, walking along the seaside. She wishes to be, “tall, proud, and perfect” and to be apart of the sea (“I would let myself be carried along / with slow steps and cold eyes and mute mouths”) In this poem, the sea is beautiful, but carries with it a somber and sad connotation as well. The poem describes a man, who unlike the woman, is already the “handsomest man” and does not have to wish to be perfect. I believe that the poet sees the roles of men and women as very different. She sees women as inferior, always trying to be better, and men as dominate and the “handsomest.” The final line, “To feel the sea’s oblivion forever” makes me think that the poet is expressing how she will be trapped in this role forever.