Journey In The Poem 'The Seafarer'

In the poem “The Seafarer”, the author who remains anonymous, uses the journey across the open ocean to reveal the inner nature and struggles of the narrator. Throughout the poem, the sea constantly represents the spiritual journey that he has embarked on his entire life.

The first part of the journey, begins with the narrator describing his feelings which are at an all time low, what he doesn’t realize is that these hardships are a part of the road to eternal life. Not only has he felt pain through being alone for years in exile, but he also acknowledges the physical hardships. The narrator quickly states that his time at sea is anything but easy, as he says “how I often endured days of struggle” (Lines 1-3). To give a further understanding of his pain, he says that his time at sea took its toll in unbelievable ways. He continues to describe his pain by saying, that he carries a heavy sadness, and an inner suffering around himself “I have suffered grim sorrow at heart have known in the ship” (Line 4-5), almost like his body is a part of the ship itself. While on the sea, the only

At this point, the audience can infer that to the narrator, the sea is his home. Even though the sea is an unforgiving place, the only time his soul is at peace, is when he travels “on the paths of the sea” (Line 52). The narrator then goes on by saying that earthly possessions are not forever, and that god created all. He describes the power of god’s creation and power by saying “before which the world stands still; He established the firm foundations” (Lines 104-105). Here, the audience can see that the narrator does in fact fear god, and acknowledges his power through the stability of his creation. Through his testimony of god, the audience can see that he is fully convinced that without god, humankind would not