He thrust his joy against the weight of the sea;
climbed through, slid under those long banks of
foam—-
(hawthorn hedges in spring, thorns in the face stinging).
How his brown strength drove through the hollow and coil
of green-through weirs of water!
Muscle of arm thrust down long muscle of water;
and swimming so, went out of sight
where mortal, masterful, frail, the gulls went wheeling
in air as he in water, with delight.
Turn home, the sun goes down; swimmer, turn home.
Last leaf of gold vanishes from the sea-curve.
Take the big roller’s shoulder, speed and serve;
come to the long beach home like a gull diving.
For on the sand the grey-wolf sea lies, snarling,
cold twilight wind splits the waves’ hair and shows
the bones they worry in their wolf-teeth. O, wind blows
and sea crouches on sand, fawning and mouthing;
drops there and snatches again, drops and again snatches
its broken toys, its whitened pebbles and shells.
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Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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From guest james knight (contact)
This poem is fantastic and a moving poem. The imagery was powerful and the way she has used poetic techniques made our day at Bomaderry High. -
wow!!!!!!!!!!
From guest jasmin nguyen (contact)
i dont like sport but the poem made me want to go swimming. it was and always will be great!! -
brilliant
From guest Claire (contact)
This poem is a brilliant work of art and i am doing one of my english assignments on it -
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What it is meant for
From guest Tousif Islam (contact)
This is not a poem of Surfing but rathehe ravages and wonders of the beach and the joy and fear one man (the surfer) finds within it. -
feelings
From guest georgia (contact)
I know the feeling of surfing, and i think it is a feeling which only few very lucky people can experience. I am also doing this poem for a photo story, and I find it difficult to find pictures as well, but I have learnt that I have to look under neath the words to fing something deeper. -
coursework
From guest charlie ingram (contact)
thanks for this i had to use this for my coursework and it really helped -
Hasn't anyone actually been to the surf at evening?
From guest Klin4960 (contact)
This poem resonates because it captures reality. Stand on the beach at night and watch the sun's orb sink beneath the horizon, watch the darkened waves leap at the sand, watch the wind catch the foam -
From guest A.A (contact)
"How his brown strength drove through the hollow and coil" Explanation of the Line? -
Each stanza
hey im doing this poem for an english task. im having troubles though representing the poem through pictures rather than words, anyone have any ideas on how i should come about it?
MOD MESSAGE
"Doing" this poem for English! Sounds like Art to me.
Try taking the strongest phrase from each line or couplet and drawing what an image of that looks like to you. -
To guest Sally and others.
I think that the author is likening the sea to different things in its various moods.
A Hawthorn bush , a gull's wing , a wolf. Each represents a different aspect of the ever changing sea. -
wolf
From guest sally (contact)
what's with the wolf? what's it supposed to represent? sorry, i'm dumb. -
From guest Andrew (contact)
I like it so i wish i got a book of all your poems. Well sometimes it is kinda freaky -
WOW
From guest Lisa Tran (contact)
its a very interesting poem and gives th reader a lot to think about. The imagery is very impressive and makes you wonder jst how much humans have weakened or lost their relationship with nature -
the surfer
From guest Mark Donovan (contact)
this poem is a simple descriptive poem and can be looked at as a message telling us that we are the minor of the earth and its natural powers, wright does this excellently by using personification and strong imagery throughout her poem. I studied this at school and found it to be a good example of literature and have recently written an essay on it -
wat the
From guest jason forsyth (contact)
i dont get it i dont no wat the meaning of the poem is
Mod Message
It can be read as a simple descriptive piece Jason.
If you want to search for deeper meanings try reading the many comments beneath the poem. -
tranquil nature
From guest blondey (contact)
ienjoyed the zoomorphism of the grey wolf, and mood changes throughout each stanza, fff poetry though -
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From guest Ashley (contact)
I had really enjoyed this poem.I have heard a few of the surfer's and i liked this one the best. =][= -
Wondeful
From guest Belinda (contact)
This is a great poem. I am trying to figure out any hidden meaning or symbolism. I think she might have been trying to say how things can change so quickly, or the way that looks can be decieving. -
From guest Alyssa (contact)
I really liked this poem and the images it creates. I think that Judith Wright is a great poet. -
From guest sfasjf (contact)
natural imagery to comment on the relationship between the sea and the surfer -
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24.02
From guest - T (contact)
I can see the joyful and heartnening side of this poem but i have to admit that i see it in a more tragic manner. I feel like this poem is expressing the idea of life, how it begins and what dangers might come upon it; letting the meaning of this poem to be that nature is something that everyone cannot go against, as strong as an individual might be. Death is a natural thing and as all humans are mortals, it cannot be escaped. -
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‘The surfer’ is a strapping and influential limerick, the author Judith Wright does this by capturing the awesome feel and strength in the atmosphere and mood of the poem by including joy and exuberant ness. This poem is also quite blunt but at the same time its also quite joyful by showing the emotion of great happiness. Also the character is high in spirits showing exuberance.
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I completely agree with ~Katie~ , a beautiful poem
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An excellent poem, not only is the imagery brilliant, the reader actually "feels" this poem. I am finding I love this poet, she is so able to convey her images and emotions to her reader.
Excellent!
~Katie~
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Great poem. One of the best I've read about surfers. And Ive found a few among my time.
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hey, thats a really good poem. Specially for surfers!
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