A Poem I like

LA MER by Oscar Wilde


A white mist drifts across the shrouds,
A wild moon in this wintry sky
Gleams like an angry lion's eye
Out of a mane of tawny clouds.
The muffled steersman at the wheel
Is but a shadow in the gloom;
-And in the throbbing engine-room
Leap the long rods of polished steel.
The shattered storm has left its trace
Upon this huge and heaving dome,
For the thin threads of yellow foam
Float on the waves like ravelled lace.

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/oscar_wilde/poems/11085

This poem grabbed my attention with the different way the sea is portrayed. Most of the time, oceans and seas are shown as beautiful and peaceful places, but with Wilde's fierce description makes it feel dangerous and uncontrollable. I also find it intresting that Oscar Wilde would right such a dark poem, he is most known to me for his witty quotes and his attempts at deep poetry. I like this poem for its simplicity. It's words are simple, the rhyming scheme is basic, and the picture he is painting is very vivid and beautiful in a haunting way. The title is straightforward, it simply means "The Sea" in French, giving it a feeling of connecting with more than the English speaking population. It tells what the poem is about, but at the same time, it leaves the reading asking if it is going to be a cheesy rendition of the beauty of the sea, or about nature, or of the creatures of the sea... The possibilities are endless. In the poem, Wilde uses alliterations and great descriptive words to keep the poem flowing. The inclusion of both long words with many syllables, and short, persice words gives it the feeling of the sea, flowing back and forth between the two. The word choice gives it a dominant, powerful feel, using examples of "angry lion's eye" "Shattered storm" and "heaving dome."