I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep - while I weep!
O God! Can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
Questions:
i. What is the theme of the stanza?
ii. Identify the figurative language used in the given stanza.
iii. Write down the rhyming scheme of the stanza.
iv. How does the speaker convey a sense of urgency and despair in the imagery of holding grains of golden sand?
v. Explain the significance of the lines, "While I weep - while I weep! / O God! Can I not grasp / Them with a tighter clasp?"
vi. How does the speaker's plea to save one grain from the pitiless wave reflect on the larger theme of the poem?
vii. Analyze the repetition of the question, "Is all that we see or seem / But a dream within a dream?" and its impact on the reader's understanding of the poem.