I Go Down to the Shore
time
lyric poem
playful
I go down to the shore in the morning and depending on the hour the waves are rolling in or moving out, and I say, oh, I am miserable, what shall— what should I do? And the sea says in its lovely voice: Excuse me, I have work to do.”
I Go Down to the Shore - meaning Summary
Purpose Beyond Private Sorrow
The poem presents a speaker who brings private misery to the shore, only to meet the sea's indifferent but purposeful motion. Its imagined reply redirects attention from self-absorption toward the ongoing work of the natural world. Rather than solving the speaker's pain, the sea offers a brisk perspective: life continues, and action may matter more than dwelling on despair.
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