The City In The Sea Analysis

Lo! Death has reared himself a throne

In a strange city lying alone

Far down within the dim West,

Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best

Have gone to their eternal rest.

There shrines and palaces and towers

(Time-eaten towers that tremble not!)

Resemble nothing that is ours.

Around, by lifting winds forgot,

Resignedly beneath the sky

The melancholy waters he.



No rays from the holy heaven come down

On the long night-time of that town;

But light from out the lurid sea

Streams up the turrets silently-

Gleams up the pinnacles far and free-

Up domes- up spires- up kingly halls-

Up fanes- up Babylon-like walls-

Up shadowy long-forgotten bowers

Of sculptured ivy and stone flowers-

Up many and many a marvellous shrine

Whose wreathed friezes intertwine

The viol, the violet, and the vine.

Resignedly beneath the sky

The melancholy waters lie.

So blend the turrets and shadows there

That all seem pendulous in air,

While from a proud tower in the town

Death looks gigantically down.



There open fanes and gaping graves

Yawn level with the luminous waves;

But not the riches there that lie

In each idol's diamond eye-

Not the gaily-jewelled dead

Tempt the waters from their bed;

For no ripples curl, alas!

Along that wilderness of glass-

No swellings tell that winds may be

Upon some far-off happier sea-

No heavings hint that winds have been

On seas less hideously serene.



But lo, a stir is in the air!

The wave- there is a movement there!

As if the towers had thrust aside,

In slightly sinking, the dull tide-

As if their tops had feebly given

A void within the filmy Heaven.

The waves have now a redder glow-

The hours are breathing faint and low-

And when, amid no earthly moans,

Down, down that town shall settle hence,

Hell, rising from a thousand thrones,

Shall do it reverence.

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wow that was the biggest waste of my time reading over all of those nonsense and drama laced comments. . .get a life ppl

| Posted on 2009-06-27 | by a guest

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first of all the nerd comment is outragious but we should not chastise him. instead we should pitty him for he does not know what he is missing.that being said i think this poem is absolutly astounding.

| Posted on 2009-05-07 | by a guest

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first of all the nerd comment is outragious but we should not chastise him. instead we should pitty him for he does not know what he is missing.that being said i think this poem is absolutly astounding.

| Posted on 2009-05-07 | by a guest

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There are many meanings to this poem. Yes, i do believe that it is about a living Hell on Earth. But yet i also wanna think its about the Lost City Of Alantas; which was out in the ocean and sunk. "a strange city lying alone" could be the Island Alantas in the middle of the ocean, "have gone to their eternal rest". "resemble nothing that is ourt" because it has nothing left of it. "Death looks gigantically down" could mean all of the lives that were took that long night when the city of Atlantas sank have gone beneath the sea so therfore "no rays from the holy heaven come down". when he is talking about "streams up the turrets silently-Gleams up the pinnacles far and free-up domes-up spires-up kingly halls- up fanes- up Babylon-like walls...etc." was about all the buildings and such that sunk under the waters of the sea. In the end death looks at you and hell is rising over the city of Atlantas.

| Posted on 2009-05-02 | by a guest

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Ah...When I first read this poem I was blown away by the imagery and meaning that popped into my mind. Here is my own humble view of "The City in the Sea":
I believe that the City is a place set in the far future were "The shrines and palaces and towers resemble nothing that is ours." This City, which Poe so hauntingly describes, is empty, abandoned, forgotten. There are no living things in it, only the "gaily-jewlled dead" and Death, "who has reared himself a throne." The City, the whole Earth in fact, no longer have humans, they have all died. Every one of them..."the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone unto their eternal rest." Death alone is left, looking "gigantically down" from a proud tower in the town. Then something starts to happen: "The waves now have a redder glow/the hours are breathing faint and low." Beneath the dead City, the tortured Earth gives way beneath it, and it sinks, the waves closing in upon it, and the last great memorial of the human race is purged from the world, settling down, down, were "Hell rising from a thousand thrones, shall do it reverence." This poem is about extinction, I believe, were everything is dead, and the things mankind has left behind sink into oblivion.
That is my own personal view of Poe's "The City in the Sea." I've always avoided reading literal, historical translations of his poetry. It kills the magic and the wonder the poems invoke. Each to his own. Edgar Allen Poe will haunt and amaze us till our City sinks for real.
- Sloane J.

| Posted on 2009-04-23 | by a guest

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I think that the city symbolizes a person. The city is a good person when the sea is calm and it represents Heaven. The 'city' has done wrong when the sea is stormy and this represents hell. The waves reddening is symbolic to the flames of hell.

| Posted on 2009-03-27 | by a guest

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You know, I definitely think that this poem is not actually talking about a city, but actually in his mothers heart..
the death must be discussing the death of his mother and how someday he would like to scuba dive to see her (the shrines and palaces indicate his scuba gear shop)
...
another way to look at it is as if he is talking about hollywood and how ridiculous the famous are.
the reference to heaven indicates los angeles, the city of angels. i also visualizehim wanting out of the fame he received..
--
one more way to see this is his passion for eating
hes hungry and cannot find food,so he looks under the sea for the answers to hisproblems, the "redder glow" indicates that because pizza has a red glow
overall this is a great poem, i love poe. there are so many ways to look at it

| Posted on 2009-02-10 | by a guest

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I think this poem takes place in a city by the sea.

| Posted on 2009-02-10 | by a guest

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I believe the poem is making a metaphor between the submerged city and death, like the city is long forgotten and dead to the world. Its emptiness is eerie, and its silence, so strong that the city itself seems like a place that death, if personified, would reside. In other words, I guess, the city "reeks" if you will, of death. The only movement is that of a wave overhead.

| Posted on 2008-12-08 | by a guest

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To the 16 year old guest I am the same age and also a girl. I happen to love poetry and especially Poe and I agree completely with you on basically all your points and to the ignorant ass who made the comment about everyone being nerds, get a life and realize that just because you don't understand any subject matter above a five year old's comprehension, doesn't mean other people don't. So keep your stupid comments to yourself and go read a book, if you even know how.

| Posted on 2008-11-29 | by a guest

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To the educated people out there: Please read if you agree with me and share my distress that the future of the human race is relying on people who do not even understand poetry.
I think that the poem is a wonderful example of poetry at its finest. I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that the comment posted refering to nerds is not about the poem at all and is rather insulting. The person who wrote it should realise that poetry is an important part of society and does indeed capture emotions, events and people who are valued in society. By doing all this poetry helps to define society and capture history. Poetry is the language of the educated. To not realise the importance of poetry is to announce to the world that you are an uneducated fool who should be out trying to contribute to society instead of making ridiculous comments that only demonstrate the lack of refinement and intelligence of the person who posted it. I am a 16 yr old girl currently studying poetry and this site is rather helpful even if that comment posted does make me feel rather disillusioned in regards to the people contibuting to the future gene pool. I would analyse the poem but feel it would be wasted if the people who read it are uneducated idiots.
I believe the poem is about a city similar to atlantis but also has a subtle underlay of religious concepts and a philosophical air to it. All this adds to its greatness and this is why it is valued in socirty. After reading all the comments i realised that when studying this poem I should take a reader centred approach as all the ideas (excepting that one comment) are valid and correct.
Thankyou for reading this.

| Posted on 2008-10-20 | by a guest

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First, I wonder what on EARTH is the ridiculous comment accusing people of being nerds doing down there. It is certainly not an analysis, and it is a humongous insult in which I believe the person responsible for it should directly drop down an acursed cliff this very instant.
In relation to the poem:
(as a sidenote, "Resignedly beneath the sky//The melancholy waters lie." is an incredibly beautiful line!)
As usual, this poem is in touch with Poe's inner workings, that is to say, dark ones. He is incredibly fond of writing baout darkness and death. This poem is really too long to analyze fully here, but in summary, it is basically a beautiful poem about Death and his personification if it.
"Hell, rising from a thousand thrones,
Shall do it reverence."
This line is almost ironic, as one examines the usage of words here. It is also symbolic of the taking over of the earth and possibly everything else by Hell. Rising from a thousand thrones - this would render it almost invincible! Clearly, Poe is convinced that the world is a living hell.
Death here, seems almost alive. It is like a king, albeit one of nothing. It seems to lord over nothing in particular, but is in control of a huge place, out of which many is in a vast ruins. This is a possible mockery, which I doubt since Poe is clearly very in touch with the dark side of life. Oxymoronic words like "hideously serene" are paired up to create a very disturbing effect. The City In The Sea seems to describe another world which, in an uncanny way, vaguely resembles ours and reminds us all, that to some extent it is not that far from the truth.

| Posted on 2008-06-20 | by a guest

.: all of you :.

SHUT UP YOU NERDS. I WOULD HOPE YOU ARE NOT ANALYZING THIS FOR LEISURE BECAUSE THAT IS REALLY NERDY!

| Posted on 2008-05-28 | by a guest

.: Historical Context :.

To understand This poem first we must look at the period of when Poe was writing. Poe was writing at a time when America had just won independence from Britain, and had cut a deal with the French and Spanish to aquire Louisiana and Florida. Some Americans even occupied parts of Mexican held countries and British held countries in the pacific. It was believed that the United States would soon hold all of the continent of North America around 1845 America once again began to threaten war with Britain.
"Time-eaten towers" is a metaphor for British cities that are old and historic and they "Tremble not" because Britain had one of the biggest armies in the world at theis time.
"Death looks gigantically down" is a reflection of how many people would die if Britain and America were to goto war again.
The red waves are a metaphor for the British army that shall engulf the city; at this time British soldiers wore red uniforms and the only thing that could come from such death and destuction is a living Hell.

| Posted on 2008-05-22 | by a guest

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It culd also be interpreted as a way of viewing and afterlife! And nonreligous belief of seeing the "afterlife" with eternal rest no pain no nothing just like the city in the sea!

| Posted on 2008-03-26 | by a guest

.: City In The Sea :.

The Sea could possibly mean his past of relationships which have ended all in death. And so Poe looks at it so with such gloom and despair, remembering how Death has beaten his spirit time and time again. "Hell, rising from a thousand thrones shall do it reverence". Death is viewed as a messenger from Satan, and Poe's world is becoming a living Hell.

| Posted on 2007-03-18 | by a guest

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I think that the poem refers to the view from christianity to one of another religion, the idea of light from heaven not reaching it but another light from the "lurid sea" suggests there is another lesser religion, the way the word idol is used is similar to the disdain for it in the bible and the idea of the winds not caryring thought of better sea's refers to the fact that the people have no idea what their missing out on.

A beautiful poem with slightly hidden religious ramifications

| Posted on 2006-05-16 | by Approved Guest

.: the city in the sea :.

whoever commented way at the top looked too far into this. sometimes things are just as they seem. not everything has to have a deeper meaning. i agree with the second comment in that i believe this is an atlantic sort of city, first glorious and then struck down. NaTuRe'S WrAtH!
(P.S.) Remove the comment above ME, obviously he lacks in people skills. chill. dont draw conclusions about people, you sound like a snob and i doubt that you are any a better person than the guy on top of YOU!

| Posted on 2006-05-15 | by Approved Guest

.: **Analysis** :.

The Passage From above is a tale and or Myth of a city in which was indeed overcome by the waves and tremmors of nature and the earth. It sinks to the bottom of the sea where the lives of the residents and what not, are deceased as they "Have Gone to their Eternal rest" and are as he states "Not the Gaily(happy) Jewelled(Crowned showing a sign of majesticness) Dead, Tempt the waters from their bed: for no Ripples curl,alas!" As he is sickely of the serene calmness of the waters as there is no rippling, no movment. it lies dead as do the Deceased in their beds of eternal rest within a city in the deep melancholy sea. For the seas are so Dead, death could "rear Himself a throne" "No rays from the holy heaven above come down" for Heaven is a live place awhile the sea is as poe says "Hideously serene" and dead. But finally "But lo,a stir is in the air!" meaning there is movment in the sea of stillness, Metaphorically speaking "As if the towers had thrust aside" meaning as if the silence of death is broken."Down,down that town shall settle hence,Hell,rising from a thousand thrones,Shall do its reverence"down down the town of stillness will become alive,Death in all anger speaking in similies meaning rage from a thousand thrones shall come to its adorance. (P.S.)Take both of the Analysises above down obvousily they both are uneducated and cannot apprecaite proper literary art. by the way person above 'renove' is not a word...

| Posted on 2006-05-08 | by Approved Guest

.: **Analysis** :.

The Passage From above is a tale and or Myth of a city in which was indeed overcome by the waves and tremmors of nature and the earth. It sinks to the bottom of the sea where the lives of the residents and what not, are deceased as they "Have Gone to their Eternal rest" and are as he states "Not the Gaily(happy) Jewelled(Crowned showing a sign of majesticness) Dead, Tempt the waters from their bed: for no Ripples curl,alas!" As he is sickely of the serene calmness of the waters as there is no rippling, no movment. it lies dead as do the Deceased in their beds of eternal rest within a city in the deep melancholy sea. For the seas are so Dead, death could "rear Himself a throne" "No rays from the holy heaven above come down" for Heaven is a live place awhile the sea is as poe says "Hideously serene" and dead. But finally "But lo,a stir is in the air!" meaning there is movment in the sea of stillness, Metaphorically speaking "As if the towers had thrust aside" meaning as if the silence of death is broken."Down,down that town shall settle hence,Hell,rising from a thousand thrones,Shall do its reverence"down down the town of stillness will become alive,Death in all anger speaking in similies meaning rage from a thousand thrones shall come to its adorance. (P.S.)Take both of the Analysises above down obvousily they both are uneducated and cannot apprecaite proper literary art. by the way person above 'renove' is not a word...

| Posted on 2006-05-08 | by Approved Guest

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The dark gothic tone in “The City in the Sea” works to enhance the Romantic qualities of the poem. Poe reveres the power of nature putting it into perspective when compared to the man made city, which is described nostalgically from the perspective of those buried in the city.Using Gothic vocabulary Poe describes graves as death’s throne and details the story of the flood from the viewpoint of the deceased in the city and not from those living in it. The second stanza in “The City in the Sea” describes the city’s buildings, nostalgically painting a picture of its majesty before the flood demonstrated the weakness of man compared to the strength of nature.

| Posted on 2005-11-01 | by Approved Guest

.: Analysis :.

This poem is about an atlantis type society which builds itself on an island that become overcome by waves and earth tremors. It sinks to the bottom of the ocean to lie there forever. This is a short summary, many descriptive wording in this poem.
(P.S) Renove the comment above, obvousily he is uneducated and can't apprecaite proper literary art.


| Posted on 2005-06-14 | by Approved Guest