“With ships the sea was sprinkled far and nigh”

In William Wordsworth’s poem “With ships the sea was sprinkled far and nigh,” the reader is presented with a first-person account. This account is composed of the speaker watching the ocean from the shore, and commenting on the ships that he can see, both docked and roaming the seas. Then after a survey of the scenery, the speaker finds a “goodly vessel” that he prefers over all the rest. Although he had no connection to the ship, nor the ship any connection to him, he still “pursued her with a lover’s look” and pondered the direction of it’s next turn.

The first structural feature that stands out to me when reading this poem is the diction; specifically, the connection, or metaphor, drawn by the speaker regarding his favorite ship and a woman. When he focuses in on one particular ship that tickles is fancy, we begin to get descriptions such as “lustily along the bay she strode,” “of apparel high,” and “I pursued her with a lover’s look.” These phrases could easily be translated into a poem about a man’s love for his lover. This could perhaps be done because Wordsworth wanted the reader to see that a “thing” such as a ship could also be an object of our love and affection. But I think the real reason is revealed with this line: “This ship was naught to me, nor I to her.” Yet this did not douse his desire for lusting after her or pursuing her. In this manner, ships are a way to convey a man’s desire for a woman he has never met. The woman just floats by while the speaker can only watch and question “When will she turn, and whither?”

The second feature that makes this poem important is the very distinct volta at line 9. The octet is spent describing different ships that are in sight, and then begins to describe the ship that most peaks his interest. This octet can even be broken down into the first quatrain, which examines his overall appreciation for ships, then the second quatrain, which focuses on his admiration for one “goodly vessel.” Then in line 9, it is revealed that the speaker has had no connection or contact with this vessel that he so admires. Interestingly, though, this volta seems to only last for one line, because in line 10 he continues on with his infatuation: “Yet I pursued her with a lover’s look.” I think the best way to understand this feature is by applying the interpretation of the ship as a woman. Even though the woman that he is in love with does not know he exists, it does not make it any easier to forget her, or to quit admiring her from afar. In fact, when he tries it doesn’t last very long, just like the one-line volta.

The last structural feature comes in the last two lines. Since this is a Petrarchan Sonnet, it does not have a rhyming couplet at the end, but there is a connection between the last two lines that does not have to do with rhyming. This connection is the syllabic length of the line. The entire poem up to line 13 is written in iambic pentameter. But when we hit line 13, we receive a 6th stressed syllable, and this applies to line 14 as well. These lines are extended because of the importance of the messages being conveyed. Lines 13 and 14 seem to tell us that the ship is beyond him in importance or just by nature. He questions the direction of his favorite ship, then tells us that “where she comes the winds must stir.” This means that the ship doesn’t need him to carry on. It can move on and will still be able to function properly. Then in line 14, we get confirmation that her journey must continue past where the speaker may interact. This sense of continuation is captured by the extended syllabic lines.